Friday Buys 5/18-25/12

Ok, so, all these last 10 days I've been sick...and it hasn't been fun.  I've gotten out of the house twice in the last ten days.  And you know what makes me happy when I'm sick?  Books, of course.  And guess what I got in the mail while I was sick?  Books.  Lots of 'em.

BOUGHT


A Lady of Secret Devotion by Tracie Peterson - $3
This book looks adorable!

The Naming by Alison Croggon - $3

This looks very intriguing.  I've read the first couple of pages and I really love the writing.  Hopefully it'll be a favorite! :)

RECEIVED


I was kind of a little bit freaking out when this showed up in my mailbox a few days ago - like, I was sooooo excited!!  Seriously - this book looks phenomenal.
Like I said last Friday Buys, I don't get hard copy ARC's in the mail very often, so this was SO. COOL.

WON

Let me first thank Misty @ The Book Rat and the folks at Walden Pond Press for the opportunity to read this three wonderful-sounding books!!  (I won these books in a giveaway that was a part of Fairy Tale Fortnight!)

Juniper Berry by M. P. Kozlowsky

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Soooooooooo excited for all three of them!! :D

I would also like to thank Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Laurisa White Reyes for the opportunity to read Laurisa's book The Rock of Ivanore!  I read the first few pages of this as well and was like, "Well hello there beautiful, where have you been all my life?"  ;) I'm thinking I'm going to adore this book!

 These books all came in the mail within two days of each other!  I was seriously beyond stoked about it!!!!

OH!  And I keep forgetting to add this:

My dear friend over at A Work of Fiction, who lives allll the way in Australia, got to meet Lauren Oliver - and because I'd just missed Lauren's signing in LA, got this poster signed and sent it to me!!  It's beautiful, is it not?! :D

THE STASH

Aren't they just beautiful?!

NETGALLEY

Doesn't this just look fantabulous?  Who doesn't want to read a book with that cover?  You'd have to be crazy.  Just sayin'.

And this one too.  I mean, what is with these gorgeous coooovvvveeerrrs?!?!?!

Not as big a fan of this cover, but it does look really interesting!  I'll be getting into all these later in the year, as they come out November-ish, but I can't wait! :D

What did YOU get this week?  Link me in the comments! :D

Pint-size Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (#1)

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (#1)

Pages: 293

Release Date:  April 19th, 2011

Date Read:  2012, April 21st-24th

Received:  Own

Rating:  3/5 stars

Recommended to:  15+

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

SUMMARY -

Kate Winters doesn't want to be here.  Seeing Eden Manor, living in a house in the town her mom grew up...  All to send her mother off.  To let her mother die of cancer that's eating away at her.  Now she has to make friends at school, because her mom wants her to move on, be happy.  There's James, the sweet guy, who seems to care a lot about her.  And then there's not-so-friendly Ava and her boyfriend Dylan.  But when a terrible accident occurs and a young life is lost, a mysterious man appears, offering to give the life back if only Kate will live with him through fall and winter, every year - forever.  Pulled into a series of tests she must pass - or die - Kate must rethink everything she thought was possible to take on her promise.

MY THOUGHTS -

This book didn't shock me, wow me, or present anything new - but, oh, did I enjoy it!  I was a bit surprised at some things toward the end, but other than that it was the same old, same old.   So why did I enjoy this book so much?  Kate.  Ok, so, she was a little whiny at times (I thought), but I respect her more than most YA heroines.  She has strong morals and a very selfless outlook, and keeps her promises.  She was what wowed me.

I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Kate and Henry.  The romance is pretty slow moving - hey! 6 months is a long time for YA lit - and at the end it isn't all happily ever after.  This I appreciate.

The plot itself was interesting, but definitely not chock-full of obvious, life endangering tests like you'd think.  One reason I kept pushing through was to see what the tests would be revealed as.  They were interesting, but not like I'd hoped.

I liked the way Ava was incorporated into this story...  And I also did not guess who was killing off all the girls until right before Kate did. That mystery did keep me involved.

Last thing - Henry.  He was just...ok.  Understandably sad, dejected, and ready to "fade", but sometimes, it seemed too much.  Dude, you're allowed to smile every once in a while, okay?

All in all, this was a fun read!

This book reminds me of...

Mansions I'd want to get lost in

A heroine worth rooting for

Lovely gardens

Stained glass

Intrigue!! ;)

For the Parents -
Language scattered throughout; after some passionate but nondescript kissing, it is stated Kate and Henry have sex, but the act is not described in any way. Mention of Ava sleeping around, being a whore, etc. ( All this has a reason!!)  Recommended 15+

Read my other reviews!

2012 TBR pile Reading Challenge - update

You know, that challenge.  The one I never post about.  Or even keep up with.  I'm so bad about it.

I've read a grand total of FOUR books for this challenge.  I signed up for Level #3, which requires I read at least 21 books from my 2011 and earlier TBR pile.  I'm only 1/7 of the way through and we are 1/2 through the year.

Things better start looking up.  Erm, I better stop getting books from the library and buying new books and reading those.  What's wrong with me?! ;)

So.  The four I've read so far:

Crossed by Ally Condie (Matched #2)
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor (Alyss #2)
(And I'm currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, which I've had for probably two years...it's amaaaazing!)

It's kind of crazy.  I need to get a move on.

Some that I want to read soon:
Witchlanders
Wildwood Dancing
The Blackhope Enigma
A Sudden, Fearful Death
Lock and Key
Geek Magnet
East
Fablehaven
Miss Spitfire

Do you see any that you've read/heard good things about?  Which would you recommend reading first?  There's a poll to your right that will allow you to vote!  Give me your thoughts! :D

Haaaaappy Reading!! :D

The Roar & The Whisper by Emma Clayton

The Roar 

Pages: 496

Release Date:  April 1st, 2009

Received:  Own

Rating:  5/5 stars

Recommended to:  11+

The Whisper

Pages: 320

Release Date:  February 1st, 2012

Received:  Own

Rating:  2/5 stars

Recommended to:  11+

~ Summary for The Roar ~

A year ago, Mika's twin sister Ellie was said to have drowned.  Everyone believes she's dead, but not Mika.  It's like he can feel her,still alive and well.  He wants answers, but when no one will help him, he's forced to do things on his own.  But when his school starts issuing the Fit For Life program - exercising, drinking the Fit Mix, and experiencing random growth spurts - and Mika's elderly friend Helen tells Mika to stick with the program so he can find Ellie, Mika throws himself full-fledged into the program.

But that's merely the beginning.  Now they must learn to fight Pods in a game that has sucked in every youth.  When Mika and his new friend Audrey find themselves at the top of the game, Mika realizes he is closer to finding Ellie than it seems - and that the game is much more dangerous than anyone believed.

The Roar ~

So, brilliant stories don't come around that often, but when they do, you read them again and again.  The Roar is one such book.  It's beautiful.  The plot, the descriptions, the suspense.  MIKA.  Mika makes this book what it is, really.

The Whisper ~

Btu what happens when its long-awaited sequel disappoints?  Ok, it's hard.  Yeah, I was hoping for the same brilliance in The Whisper.  If the author can do it once, she can do it again.  Unfortunately, what I got from The Whisper was less than good.  I'm sad to say it.

The Roar ~

With characters like these, it's hard to leave your readers behind.  Mika is 12 years old, a strong boy with an amazing love of life.  An amazing love in general.  He's wonderful and I adore him with every fiber of my being.  And, I, erm, kind of have a crush on him.  Just don't tell anyone. ;)

Ellie is fast, furious, and totally fantastic!  She makes me smile and whoop with joy and triumph.  She's spunky, and her pet monkey, Puck, is adorable.  The little bond they have really adds to the story and shows you all sides of Ellie's character.

Audrey, too, is just...wow.  She blew me away.  She's the kind of girl who talks in exclamation marks and is the life of the party.  Some people might find her annoying but I couldn't get enough of her!

The Whisper ~

Wait, I take that back.  I could get enough of her, and almost every other character.

While The Roar is from Mika's perspective (with some of Ellie's and Mal Gorman's in the mix), The Whisper is allll over the map.  Every-stinking-where!  Almost everyone seems to have a few chapters (or more) from their perspective.  I just didn't care about all those other characters enough to get into it.  Some were new characters who pop out of nowhere.  Others are old characters who don't really have a huge part in the story.  I read this book to discover what happens to Mika and Ellie, not the rest of the world.

Mika and Ellie are the only characters who remained interesting, so I found myself skimming some of the other parts because it didn't mean anything to me.

The Roar ~

WHAT a story.  Like, fan-freaking-tastic!  Think X-men, dystopia, and just good sci-fi.  I was riveted, first time and second time.  Everything unfolds to perfectly, it's hard not to want to want to know what's next and keep turning the pages.  The sci-fi elements were so great.  Kids trained to fight Pods and who also develop superpowers because of a drink they were forced to take?  Yeah, i'll read that any time.  And the lights?  Way too cool!!

The Whisper ~

She lost me.  Emma Clayton lost me.  And at about 30 pages, no less, when I realized it was going nowhere I wanted to follow.  But it was taking Mika and Ellie with it (just barely) so I decided to go along with it, at least for a bit.

But nothing...happened.  It felt very much like an excessive extension of The Roar.  It could have been compacted into 50 pages and attached to the end of The Roar, but instead, its 350 pages were endless.

~ So what should you do? ~

As the reader, obviously that's your choice.  But I say...  Read The Roar.  Know where the story is going to end (it's obvious), and be happy with it.  End there, satisfied.  If you're curious about The Whisper, kill it, before it kills you.  Or your cat.

Read my other reviews!

Friday Buys 5/4-18/12

VERY fun stash this weekend!! :D  Enjoy!

BOUGHT

So you all know that a few weeks ago I bought an extra copy of Everneath...and it was for someone special.  Someone special, as in, a follower of my blog!  Soon, there will be a two year blogoversary/250 follower giveaway!!

The top book is mine - dear Brodi is AMAZING.

The second one is for one of you very lucky followers! :D

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

I bought this for about $12 with a giftcard a discount.  SO excited to read it...hopefully more than once...because it's my unrealistic and totally ridiculous goal to ease my Downton Abbey addiction until Season 3 airs next winter.

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Also $12 with discount and gift card.  I'm SO excited to read this!  More than any other dystopian out right now! :D

Cold Fury by T. M. Goeglein

I received this from the publisher when I won the giveaway on the Librarything Early Reviewers giveaway program!  SO excited about it!  I don't receive hard copy ARCs very often so this is a treat!!

AND....along with meeting the WONDERFUL Brodi Ashton, I was very fortunate to meet Bree Despain, fellow author and friend of Brodi's.  They were hilarious together and they discussed very good topics.  Afterward, I bought The Dark Divine (which I'm positively ITCHING to read NOW) for $11.

I love that - Make life divine!! :D

THE STASH

NETGALLEY

Also...from NetGalley:

So, everyone, what have YOU purchased/received/borrowed this week?  Link me up in the comments! :D

Happppy Reading!! :D