Author: Beth Revis
Release Date: January 11, 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 398
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Gifted

Rating: ★★★★★

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next. Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

I had to think about this book for quite awhile after reading it, there was jus so much information to process. Which is one of the things I really loved about it, you got this story mainly focused around two people which is Amy and Elder, but surrounding that one major plot are a ton of other amazing sub plots. I was truly amazed by this book, and I am so glad I got the chance to read it.

When you look at the main plot line revolving around Amy and Elder, you see two very different situations playing out. And the way Beth wrote it switching perspectives each chapter between those two characters is amazing. It made you feel really connected to those characters, because every little thing was broken down to very fine details for both Amy and Elder and you got to see what both of them thought in certain situations, and just get a better idea of who they are. I find that you don't often find that level of detail a lot in books, but in this case where you have that separation of sorts between the two characters by doing the chapters that way really makes the characters stand out that much more.

The world in which this story takes place is also really creative, and interesting. I enjoyed the whole idea behind a colony in space trying to travel to another planet. And I liked the interesting touches that Beth added in to make it her own, seeing as stories about intergalactic travel have been done many times before. One of the things I didn't really care for too much was the idea behind the "Season" I am not one to be picky when it comes to ideas in books, but that was just a little out there for me. But even with that said, it really did bring a lot to the story and that's what finally made me just look past it and accept the fact that it did add a major factor to the background of the story, as you will find out if you read it.

All of the characters in this book are so detailed and amazing in their own ways. You have characters like Eldest, who you don't like at all in almost every situation, and then you have characters like Doc that confuse you, as to where there they stand on things. And so many other great characters in between that have a astounding impact on the story, and many of them you either hate or become really attached too.

The ending of this story is truly one of the best I have read in quite awhile, finally figuring out the truth behind certain things throughout the story and learning what happens to some of the characters. It's such a great closure to a beautiful story, and I don't think it could have been done any better. I love the fact that things weren't sugar coated when all the truths surrounding the story came out, and that it literally left me without words after I finished the last page.

I had to give this book five stars, it has the perfect balance of everything that makes a book amazing. The world in which the story takes place, the characters, the plot lines, the ending.. Everything. I was seriously speechless when I finished this book, and I thought about it for hours. It's seriously amazing, and I hope everyone that hasn't read it yet will if they get the chance. You won't be disappointed.

I'd love to hear what you thought about this book if you've read it. :)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.

I really liked the topic for this week, as soon as I saw it I had several books pop into my head that I wanted to make sure to include. :)

1. Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling - This one was the first that popped into my mind. It's just that one series of books I will always be able to go back and read and enjoy no matter how old I am.

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - I only read this book a few months ago, but I fell I really enjoyed it. It's such an amazing story, it's one of those book that everyone should read at least once in their life but I am positive I will end up reading this one again when I get the chance.

3. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - This was one of my favorite books that I have read so far this year, I love historical fiction especially if it's YA so this book pulled me in really easily. I loved the writing style too, I think it was awesome how the whole journal aspect played out.

4. Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - Another series I couldn't go without mentioning with this topis. Like Harry Potter, I don't think this one really needs much explaining as to why it's here. :P

5. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - This was the second Sarah Dessen book I read, but I loved it. The story was really great, and it's one of those books I will go back to in the future.

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth - This is another really amazing book, it didn't take me long to realize it was going to be among my favorites. I will most likely end up reading it again before the release of Insurgent.

7. Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray - I love anything to do with Shakespeare. So I was hoping this would be a book that I would really enjoy and it was.

8. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - This was one of the most recent books I read, but it was really good. I will probably end up reading it again before I read the next two book, even though they're about different people.

9. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - I loved this book, sadly I haven't had a chance to get the other books in the series but I am really excited to be able too. I will probably end up reading this one again though when I get the other books.

10. Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R Tolkien - This is a series I read back in middle school, it's right along with Harry Potter when it comes to my favorite series. I can easily come back to these books if I need a change in reading.

Author: Alison Goodman
Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Publisher: Firebird
Pages: 531
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Bought


Rating: ★★★1/2

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured. When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

It took me a lot longer to read this book than I thought it would. Granted it's already a fairly large book, but the start of it was just so slow for me. It took a good 100+ pages for it to finally pick up for me, and hold my interest. But I held onto the hope that with it being a larger book, I would be rewarded if I stuck through what I felt to be the dreadfully slow part. And I was correct to make that assumption. Once it started getting into the events right after the choosing of the Dragonseye things really started to pick up and hold my interest more. I'd have to say the last 250-300 pages were really hard for me to put down.

Aside from the slow start. I really liked the characters, Eon(Eona) is a great character. And getting to see her figure things out about herself, and also the people that have been close to her during her life is great. Then you got characters like Tyron, Ryko, Lady Dela, Rilla, Chart and a lot of others. I won't go into much detail on these characters, as there are spoilers attached to them. But they all have huge impacts in Eona's life and they add so much depth to the story. One of the best things about this story was the characters, it was probably the main reason I kept reading.

I really enjoyed the ending of the story though, so much action and you don't really know what's going to happen until the last few pages. And then you are hit with some really awesome plot twists, that makes you wonder what is going to happen to some of the characters. It left me wanting to jump into the second book, that's for sure.

In the end I had to give this book 3 1/2 stars. I debated it for awhile, but the slow start just didn't sit well with me. It's just my opinion though. I am sure others might think it was a great start, and that is fine. But like I said before, beyond the slow start, this book has a ton of redeeming qualities. The Characters as I mentioned above are amazing, even the bad ones. And the story itself was very interesting. It was different than other Fantasy stories I have read before. And I really liked the whole idea behind Dragon Magic, and the entire ordeal of the Dragoneyes. That part was really interesting to me. So my final verdict on this book, would be that based on the story aspects alone, this book is worth reading. Maybe the start won't seem as slow for you as it did for me, but that was my main reason for lowering the rating down from 4 stars.

I'd love to hear your opinions on this book though, I know a lot of people out there have read it. So feel free to leave a comments letting me know if you agree or disagree with anything I said. :)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

This is my first what I would consider to be true IMM since starting my blog. I've had smaller hauls that I have made posts about, but nothing of this scale.

This week I got a package from a amazing friend of mine, Katie (Katie's Book Blog). So I just want to give a huge, huge Thank You to her. She is such a amazing person, please make sure to go check out her blog and YouTube page and follow/subscribe if you're not already. She is so close to hitting 1700 followers on her blog, and that is really awesome so I am hoping maybe this weekend she can reach that mark. So it would really mean a lot to me if you could take the time to go follow her blog if you haven't. Just click the little button below to head to her page.











Books:

Across The Universe by Beth Revis (ARC version) - Signed Copy

How it Ends by Laura Wiess (ARC version)

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young (ARC Version)

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel (ARC Version)

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (ARC Version)

Clarity by Kim Harrington (ARC Version)

Wintertown by Stephen Emond ( ARC copy, comes out December 5th, 2011)

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Tighter by Adele Griffin


Swag signed by Authors:


Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (Bookmark)

Shade by Jerri Smith-Ready (Bookmark)

Rise by Stefene Miller (Bookmark)

Everblue, The Emerald Talisman & The Sapphire Talisman by Brenda Pandos (Bookmarks)

Chasing Brooklyn & The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder (Bookmarks)

Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison (Bookmark)

The Snow Ball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter (Bookmark)

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler (Bookmark)

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (Bookmark)

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton (Bookmark)

Meridian by Amber Kizer (Bookmark)

Mistwood by Leah Cypress (Cover Post Card Type Thing)

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden (Cover Post Card Type Thing)



That's all the signed swag, but she also sent a ton of other bookmarks and such. So I don't think I will ever have to worry about not having a bookmark to use now. :P

What did you get in your mailbox this week? Feel free to leave comments with links to your IMM's I would love to check them out.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic was kind of hard for me, I haven't read a lot of the books out there. So there are so so many that I could chose from when it comes to picking 10 that it seems like a lot of others have read. But I am going to do my best. :)


1. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare - I decided to just group these all together. This is one of the series that I feel like everyone else but me has read, I have heard so many good things about it.. And actually have City of Bones, just not had the chance to get to it yet.

2. Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead - This is another one of those series that I feel like I am the last to read. And again, it's one of those I got the first book too. But when it comes to this one, I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on it so I have been hesitant to start it since I always try and read a series all together.. and it's a fairly lengthy one.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Ah, I've been wanting to read this book for quite awhile now.. Especially with Lola coming out soon. I am really hoping to get a chance to pick this one up soon. I've heard nothing but amazing things about it.

4. The Iron Daughter & The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - These are another two I decided to group together.. seeing as they are the 2nd and 3rd part to a series. But I can't wait to get a chance to read both of these, I read The Iron king not too long ago and absolutely loved it. So I am hoping that all the others in the series will live up to the first book.

5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - I've been wanting to read this one, but I am not sure if I should real The Mortal Instruments series or not. But I have heard so many things about it, so I know I am already late to the party when it comes to this one.

6. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles - I loved Perfect Chemistry when I read it, and I can't wait to get a chance to read this one. It's another one that I have heard a lot of amazing things about.

7. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead - This is book one to a new series by Richelle. and I have been hearing of so many people reading it since it came out. So I am looking forward to getting a chance too.

8. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - This is one of those books that I have seen have so much hype around it with all of the people that are reading it. So this had to make it on the list.


So this week I could only come up with 8 if you don't count the ones grouped together. But I feel like I made some decent choices, based on what I have seen a lot of people have read and everything.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. My WoW is The unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

I've been hearing a lot about this book lately, and all of it's been good things. It really sounds like it's going to be a great book. It comes out on September 27th, 2011. Can't wait to get a chance to pick this one up, definitely near the top of my list of books to get.

Author: Simone Elkeles
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Pages: 357
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Bought


Rating: ★★★★★

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

My Review:


To be quite honest, I wasn't sure what I was expecting to get from this book. I knew going in it would be one of the more "Romantic" books I have read. And I wasn't really sure how much I would enjoy it, because it was the first YA book that I have read, that had such a heavy romance plot. But that isn't a bad thing, I actually really enjoyed it, I felt like it was done in a way that really brought a lot to the story.

I really liked the two main characters, Brittany and Alex. I loved seeing how different they were, in the sense of being from completely different worlds. But even though they lived such different lifestyles, you get to see how alike they are. And it was really interesting to me to see that. You have Brittany, which people think she has everything. She is the Cheerleader captain, and she has the football star boyfriend. But very few people know what her life is really like, how much she cares for her older sister, and how much pressure her parents put on her. And then you got Alex, a member of the Latino Blood, and someone that people think is a bad person. But is he really the person people make him out to be?

Simone did such a amazing job with these characters, I love how much depth to them. When you start reading, you think you can figure them out just by what you see on the outside. But once you continue reading, you see that there is so much more to every character. Some of it you might not expect, and then other things you might of been hoping to see. I feel like that is such a great message though, not to judge people just by what you see on the outside.

There are also a lot of really amazing side characters in this book, from Brittany's sister Shelly, to Alex's two brothers. But you also have people like Mrs. Peterson who is Alex's and Brittany's Chemistry teacher. And is one of those people who can see past all of the angst and everything else when it comes to those two. Also Dr. Aguirre who is the school principal, and also a lot like Mrs. Peterson in the sense of knowing what Brittany and Alex can accomplish. One of the other characters I really liked was Paco, I don't want to go into much detail on him, so I don't spoil anything but his character really grew on me. There are also a few others that I didn't mention, but out of all the characters there were only a few that I didn't like, and the ones I didn't like were for certain reasons.

I loved the conclusion to this book. It wasn't sugarcoated, and I liked that about it. I thought everything came to a close in a way that gave justice to the rest of the story. As I have said before, the ending of a book can make or break books for me. And this ending definitely made this book for me. The whole story was amazing, but they way it all came to a close was not what I was expecting at all.

So in the end I gave this book 5 stars. It was a great romance read, but also a lot more than that. I loved all the great messages in the book, and pretty much everything about it. If I had to pick one thing I didn't really care for, I would have to go with all the Spanish in it, I knew some of it, just the most common words but there was a lot I didn't know and it did get aggravating. But that wasn't a big enough issue to drop the rating down, all the other amazing things in the book made up for that one small issue.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Where you showcase a book you are looking forward to.

My WoW this week, is Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. I loved Delirium, and can't wait for the second book to come out. It's still awhile off, but I am sure it'll be worth the wait. The Synopsis I will be including, is from Goodreads.

Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free. Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again. Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet

This Read-A-Thon is being hosted by Katie over at Katie's Book Blog.



So far, I have one book done. Which is The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.












Next I am going to be starting Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.












So far I have read about 170 pages, but there are still quite a few hours left in the day and still have Sunday and Monday to read, so I am still hoping to meet my goal. I am already going at a faster pace than I normally do, so that is good. Having a lot of fun though, glad I decided to join in.

Author: Julie Kagawa
Release Date: February 1st, 2010
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 362
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Bought


Rating: ★★★★★

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

This is the first book I have read dealing solely with Faery's and such. But I really enjoyed it, Julie created a awesome world in The Iron King. Everything starts off normal, and then a few chapters in weird things start to happen and then you're launched into the crazy world that Julie has created in this book. I really liked the fact that it picked up fast, it allowed me to keep interest, and it didn't drag on before getting to the more exciting parts of the book. I find it hard to do a in-depth review of this book without giving away any spoilers, but I will do my best.

Meghan gets picked on at school, she don't have many friends and her best friend, whom she has known almost her whole life is named Robbie has always been there for her, he has a habit of always calling her Princess, which she hates and don't really know why he always insists on calling her that. As you get through the first several chapters, you start seeing weird things happen, and Meghan begins to notice that Robbie is becoming more and more protective of her leading up to her 16th birthday, and she has no idea why he is doing so. But as you keep reading, you will learn pretty early on why all of this is happening, and how it involves pretty much everyone that is close to Meghan, including Ethan, who is her little step brother, and also her mom.

There are a lot of other amazing characters in this book, but I don't want to go into a lot of detail about them as most of the characters have quite a few spoilers attached to them. So just trust me when I say that you won't be disappointed by the diversity of all the characters within this book.

The world in which some of this book takes place in is very interesting too, you have places such a Wyldwood, Summer Court, Winter Court and a few other different places. Again, I don't want to go into a lot of detail on these places but the world that Julie has created, and the descriptions and detail is really awesome. It is one of those worlds that will draw you in, and leave you with so many questions about different things within it. This is one of the biggest factors that made this book great, at least to me. The different settings, mixed with the different characters and such throughout them made for a extremely enjoyable read.

The ending of the book was great too, I would of liked to at least have a little more information about what happened to some of the characters, but I am sure I will find that out when I pick up the second book.

I gave this book five stars, it's just a amazing read and it has me wanting to read the read of the series as soon as I can, I can't wait to find out what happens next to all the characters, and to see if any new ones are introduced.

This will be my first Read-A-Thon but I am really excited for it. It is being hosted by Katie over at Katie's Book Blog.

 So I don't really know how much I will be able to get read, but I am hoping to meet my goal of 4 books, or at least come close.. I will have one to finish also, so I guess I could say it will be 4 1/2 books.

 Here are the books I plan to read: (Not in any certain order.. other than the first)

 The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (This is the one I will finish first, I am about half way through)
 Eon by Alison Goodman
 Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
 Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
 This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen 

 That is my list of books, I hope to be able to get through them all. Going to be a great weekend though, either way. :)