Audio Book Review: The Corpse Reader

Posted in Audiobooks, Books by wingedcreature

Book: The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido, translated by Thomas Burnstead, narrated by Todd Haberkorn

Published May 2013 by Brilliance Audio|Run Time: 12 hours, 14 minutes

Where I Got It: Audible.com

Series: None

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

You can find The Corpse Reader on goodreads

Goodreads Summary: After his grandfather dies, avid scholar and budding forensic investigator Cí Song begrudgingly gives up his studies to help his family. But when another tragedy strikes, he’s forced to run and also deemed a fugitive. Dishonored, he has no choice but to accept work as a lowly gravedigger, a position that allows him to sharpen his corpse-reading skills. Soon, he can deduce whether a person killed himself—or was murdered.

His prowess earns him notoriety, and Cí receives orders to unearth the perpetrator of a horrific series of mutilations and deaths at the Imperial Court. Cí’s gruesome investigation quickly grows complicated thanks to old loyalties and the presence of an alluring, enigmatic woman. But he remains driven by his passion for truth—especially once the killings threaten to take down the Emperor himself.

Inspired by Song Cí, considered to be the founding father of CSI-style forensic science, this harrowing novel set during the thirteenth-century Tsong Dynasty draws readers into a multilayered, ingenious plot as disturbing as it is fascinating.

My Review:

The Corpse Reader isn’t a book I’d normally seek out on my own, but when I heard it mentioned on the Book Riot podcast, I was intrigued enough to read it.

What’s most interesting is that the book is inspired by a real person. I can’t speak to the historical accuracy of the book, but it did the feel of 12th century China. I’m definitely curious about Ci, and the sources Garrido used, because I’d really like to learn more about Song Ci. It, unfortunately, wasn’t included in the audio book, so I may have to check out a print or digital version of the book to see if anything’s included at the end of the book. It does seem pretty well-researched, and it’s pretty detailed while not being boring. You get the right amount of information at the right time, and it was easy to stay interested throughout the book, since I didn’t find myself bored at any particular point.

I did notice that when we got closer to the ending, it kind of reminded me of an episode of CSI or Law & Order. It’s definitely dramatic, but given that Ci seems to be considered the father of forensics, it also seems appropriate. I like that it’s a murder mystery set in medieval China, because it’s not something I normally read about.

Garrido really does seem to be a great story-teller, but at the same time, there was something about this book I couldn’t quite connect with. I’m not sure if something was lost in translation, but…there is something about The Corpse Reader that I can’t put my finger on. Still, it did seem like it was pretty well translated.

As for the narration, I felt like Todd Haberkorn did a pretty good job. I wasn’t blown away, but he wasn’t horrendous either.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked The Corpse Reader, and it’s definitely a book I wouldn’t have picked out on my own. It’s different in a good way, and I liked the time and setting because it’s not what I’d usually go for in historical fiction. The Corpse Reader gets 3 stars.

23Jan2014

ARC Book Review: The Forgotten Ones

Posted in Books by wingedcreature

Book: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Published August 2013 by Indie Inked|Pages: 132

Where I Got It: I got an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review. Promise!

Series: The Danaan Trilogy #1

Genre: New Adult Paranormal

You can find The Forgotten Ones on goodreads & Laura Howard on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.

If there’s something I love, it’s a story that centers on fairies. And I was pleasantly surprised that The Forgotten Ones is not your typical fairy story.

I really liked how Allison’s dad became immortal because he spent too much time in fairie. As far as I can tell, Allison is not a fairie, which is definitely different, but a different that I’m intrigued by. And Allison’s mom? I totally didn’t see a certain plot point coming. At all. Actually, I have random thought about her mom: for some reason, the portrayal of Allison’s mother as a schizophrenic who’s heavily sedated and can’t go anywhere without being sedated bothered me, and I have no idea why.

The Forgotten Ones is pretty short, but it moved at a pretty good pace, and I felt like things were wrapped up really well, while also leaving things open for the next book. It’s because things get fairly resolved that I wasn’t annoyed by the length of the book. It doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, which is also nice, but given that last line, and everything that happened in The Forgotten Ones…let’s just say that I really want to know what that means for the characters after finishing the book!

I’m feeling pretty neutral about the characters. The fairies seem pretty interesting, and I wanted to know more about them! At the same time, I liked what we did learn about them, and I’m sure there’s more to learn! Other than that…no one really has made a lasting impression. I will say that I think the length played a part in this, because I felt like I didn’t really get to know the characters, and maybe a book that was slightly longer would have helped in their development. Hopefully, we’ll learn more of them in the next book.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked The Forgotten Ones, and how it’s a different take on fairies. It’s pretty rooted in Celtic mythology, which seems pretty rare in fairie novels. Still, I wish I knew the characters a little bit better, but I really am hoping to learn more about them. The Forgotten Ones gets 3 stars.

21Jan2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist

Posted in Books, Top 10 Tuesday by wingedcreature

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own Top Ten List based on the topic of the week. You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Gilmore Girls 3×13: Dear Emily And Richard

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by wingedcreature

Dear Emily And Richard originally aired February 4, 2003. This episode was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and was directed by Gail Mancuso.

This episode starts off another Friday night dinner, where Richard and Emily are horrified that Rory and Lorelei plan on backpacking through Europe and staying in hostels, instead of staying in hotels for their trip to Europe.

From there, we see a bit of the construction on the soda shop, and we learn that Dean is helping Taylor out. There is also going to be a retirement party at the inn, which has an ever-changing theme.

We go to a flashback, where Lorelei and Chris are at Emily’s and Chris is talking about how he wants to take a year off and travel around Europe for a year instead of going to college.

Rory is at Chilton, working on the paper, when she gets a call from Sherry’s friend Maureen. Sherry, of course, has screwed up by going into labor early, instead of sticking to the c-section that she had scheduled for the following week. Maureen wants to know if Rory can reschedule school and go to Boston, since Sherry screwed up, but Rory says she’ll be there.

We have another flashback, where Lorelei can’t fit into her dress for the portrait she’s having done for her coming out.

Back in present time, Lorelei meets Nicole at Luke’s because she needs some coffee before heading over to Emily’s.

Rory arrives at the hospital to see that only Maureen is there, because everyone had planned on next week’s c-section, because yet again, Sherry has screwed up. Maureen goes back to work, while Rory goes to see Sherry, who is feeling abandoned. Sherry is not happy about having GiGi at the moment, because she wrote it down for next week, and that it’s not supposed to be happening.

Lorelei goes to see Emily on…a Sunday. Richard is out of town again, and Lorelei is curious about what Emily does all day while Richard is gone. Emily spends her time on functions and fundraising events and the DAR and managing the household. Emily doesn’t watch a lot of tv, but does like musicals.

We have another flashback, where Richard and Emily and Chris’ parents are talking about what to do about Lorelei being pregnant. Francie wants to send Lorelei away, because there are places for girls like her. Strobe suggests abortion, and Richard suggests that Chris and Lorelei get married, live with Richard and Emily, and Chris will go to school and get a job at Richard’s firm. It also comes up that Chris shouldn’t sacrifice everything because Lorelei got pregnant. Richard goes to his study, and we see that Lorelei and Chris are listening on the stairs. Lorelei thinks they should decide for themselves what to do, but Richard’s plan sounds fine to Chris.

Back in the present, Rory is helping Sherry with work stuff, and we learn that Chris is out-of-town but is also on his way. A nurse wants to know who’s going in with Sherry, and it’s going to be Chris. The nurse wants to know who will go in with her if he’s not there, but Sherry wants to wait until he’s there. The nurse isn’t accepting this, and it’s decided Rory will be with Sherry in the delivery room. Rory decides that she needs a coffee break, and goes out of the room to call Lorelei, because Rory really needs Lorelei there. Of course, Lorelei goes, which doesn’t go over well with Emily, who still thinks that Sherry destroyed any chance of Chris and Lorelei being together. And Emily also doesn’t understand why Rory is there or why Lorelei is going.

Lorelei arrives at the hospital, where she manages to get Sherry to stop working. Chris also arrives just as Sherry is going into the delivery room, much to the relief of Lorelei, who does not have to be with Sherry in the delivery room.

We also have a few more flashbacks. One where Lorelei arrives at the hospital, one where Richard and Emily arrive at the hospital after getting Lorelei’s note, and one where Chris and Lorelei are watching Rory in the nursery.

Chris comes out of the delivery room, and Lorelei goes to see GiGi, since Rory is sleping. He eventually goes to get Rory, and we next find Lorelei at Emily’s to set up a DVD player, so that Emily can watch musicals.

We have one last flashback where Emily and Richard are going to a function, and discover that Lorelei has left because of a note she left for them.

The episode ends with the viewer looking at a portrait of Richard, Emily and Lorelei.

My Thoughts:

Let’s start with Emily’s reaction to Sherry’s pregnancy. She’s still clearly not happy about it, and it is important to point out that Lorelei went to Boston because Rory called her. And of course Rory is going to be there, because GiGi is her half-sister.

Maureen going on and on about how Sherry screwed up by going into labor early…I was really annoyed with that! I honestly don’t know why she keeps focusing on that. Because when it happens, it happens, and there’s no stopping it. And Sherry not wanting to do it because she wrote it down for next week…I’m sure scheduling a c-section is a thing that actually happens with a certain segment of the population, but the way Sherry and her friends are acting…it just seems like they’re a bit out of touch with how being pregnant goes for most women.

Also, what day is this happening? Because it’s said that it’s a Sunday, which means the Chilton newspaper staff is at school on a Sunday. Since it’s been a while: what kind of school is Chilton that it lets its students be there on a Sunday to work on the paper? It being on a Sunday doesn’t match up with Rory rescheduling school. Again, Maureen seems to be slightly out of touch with the fact that school is mandatory and can’t be rescheduled. Although…it can’t be regular school hours, since Rory just leaves, unless it’s something that happens off-screen.

I really want to focus on the flashbacks, which were totally amazing. They worked with this episode really well, and they were so seamless! I feel like this is the most neutral version of Lorelei’s pregnancy that we get in the entire series. I don’t think I picked up on this before, but Lorelei and Rory’s trip to Europe when Rory graduates…I wonder if it’s inspired by the trip that Chris and Lorelei never took? It is like Lorelei to not tell Richard and Emily she’s in labor, and I actually don’t blame Emily for being upset that Lorelei just left a note. As for the conversation all of the parents have, I’m not surprised that Francie suggests Lorelei be sent away, that Strobe suggests abortion, and that Richard suggests marriage. I am curious as to why adoption doesn’t come up, but then again, adoption rarely seems to come up in these situations.

Them living with Richard and Emily make the most sense, given how Francie and Strobe react. I know homes for pregnant teens was a thing at one point, but was it still a thing in the 80’s? Because I wasn’t alive for half the 80’s, and I was too little to remember the other half, so I have no clue.

And the flashback where Emily discovers that Lorelei has left home? I kind of get some of the tension between Emily and Lorelei, and if Lorelei just left with a note…I feel like I have a better understanding of where Emily is coming from.

Pop Culture:

I know they’re there, I just didn’t keep track of any of them.

Favorite Funny Moment:

Everyone’s reaction to the retirement party changing themes.

Episode Rating:

This is the only episode where we have flashbacks, and if there is any episode that warrants them, it would be this episode. This is one of the best episodes of the series, and some of the tension between Richard and Emily and Lorelei make more sense. Dear Emily and Richard gets 5 mugs of coffee.

19Jan2014

ARC Book Review: Manor Of Secrets

Posted in Books by wingedcreature

Book: Manor Of Secrets by Katherine Longshore

Expected Publication is January 28, 2o13 by Scholastic|Expected Number Of Pages: 339

Where I Got It: from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my opinion. Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

You can find Manor Of Secrets on goodreads and Katherine Longshore on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: Lady Charlotte Edmonds: Beautiful, wealthy and sheltered, Charlotte feels suffocated by the strictures of upper-crust society. She longs to see the world beyond The Manor, to seek out high adventure—and most of all, romance.

Janie Seward: Fiery, hardworking, and clever, Janie knows she can be more than just a kitchen maid. But she isn’t sure she possesses the courage—or the means—to break free and follow her passions.

Both Charlotte and Janie are ready for change. As their paths overlap in the gilded hallways and dark corridors of The Manor, rules are broken and secrets are revealed. Secrets that will alter the course of their lives…forever.

In a lot of ways, Manor Of Secrets is a pretty typical story of a well-to-do girl who no longer wants to live the life that she’s accustomed to. But it also surprised me, in a TOTALLY good way!

I really liked how Charlotte and Janie became friends and how they both managed to find some adventure and romance. They definitely wanted to change their lives (especially Charlotte), and I liked seeing how they both had a better understanding of the world around them by the end of the book. They really came into their own by the end of the book, and I liked seeing that against the backdrop of a world that is changing while living in the bubble of a world that is resistant to change.

There’s definitely a Downtown Abbey feel to the book, so I would definitely recommend it to any Downtown Abbey fan. There’s quite the cast of characters, and there is very much a divide between the staff and the family. Everyone has their place, and those roles are challenged a little bit throughout the book.

It’s definitely a fun, quick read, and I’m kind of interested in the difference between upstairs servants and downstairs servants. That was definitely one of the more interesting parts of the book, because I don’t normally think about the hierarchy of servants.

I felt like Manor Of Secrets was predictable at times, especially with a big revelation coming towards the end of the book, but I found I didn’t mind, because Manor Of Secrets was so enjoyable.

Let’s Rate It:

Manor Of Secrets was a fun read. I didn’t mind that it was predictable, and while I didn’t love it, it was still interesting and kept me entertained throughout the book. It’s a must-read for Downtown Abbey fans! Manor Of Secrets gets 3 stars.

17Jan2014

Book Review: City Of Ashes

Posted in Books by wingedcreature

Book: City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Published March 2009 by Margaret K. McElderry Books|496 pages

Where I Got It: Nook Store

Series: The Mortal Instruments #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find City Of Ashes on goodreads & Cassandra Clare on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City’s Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

So. City Of Ashes! After seeing the movie last year, I knew I had to continue The Mortal Instruments with book #2!

We meet quite a few people, including Jace’s adopted parents and the High Inquisitor. And of course, we see quite a bit of the characters from City Of Bones.

I think I liked this one a little bit better than City Of Bones, because we were able to jump right into this world. There’s a lot going on, including Jace and Clary dealing with the knowledge that they are brother and sister. It’s definitely hard for both of them, and there were times when it was harder for one of them. Although, something seems off about it. Mostly because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of proof, other than Valentine’s word, so it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if they weren’t related after all.

I have to say, I just love Magnus! There’s something very awesome about him, and he’s definitely one of my favorite characters. And I kind of like him and Alec together.

The Silent City is definitely creepy, especially given some of the events that take place there. It’s such an interesting place, but at the same time, it’s super creepy. I’m kind of creeped out just thinking about the Silent City, actually. And the Institute seems so different, but that could be because we didn’t spend a lot of time there, like we did in City Of Bones.

We also learn more about Valentine, who is one not-very-cool guy. But I also feel like I understand him a bit better after reading City Of Ashes. Still, you’d think no one would just take his word for it. There are certainly ways to truly know if Jace and Clary are siblings, and it’s odd that no one would bother to use them to make sure that what Valentine’s saying is actually true.

And how the Shadowhunters (well, some of them) view Mundanes and Downworlders! I think that’s going to come back to haunt them later on.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked City Of Ashes, and I’m really curious as to where things are going. I liked it slightly better than City Of Bones, and it’s definitely a fun, quick read. City Of Ashes gets 3 stars.

16Jan2014

Audio Book Review: Spell Bound

Posted in Books by wingedcreature

Book: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins, narrated by Cris Dukehart

Published July 2012 by Tantor Media|Run Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes

Where I Got It: audible.com

Series: Hex Hall #1

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Spell Bound on goodreads & Rachel Hawkins on Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

I’ve really enjoyed this series, and Spell Bound is a pretty good series ender. I feel like I say this a lot, but it’s totally true. There’s a lot going on, and we learn more about the Brannicks, and that things really aren’t what they seem. I mean, things we thought we knew…really weren’t the case at all.

It’s definitely one of those things I don’t want to spoil, because I feel like it’s a big part of what’s going on. At the same time, it was kind of predictable, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not realizing that earlier.

It should be no surprise that Sophie gets her powers back and manages to stop Lara Casnoff. It was quite predictable, but even a few things along the way managed to surprise me…including how Sophie gets to Hex Hall and how she manages to stop Lara from her evil plans. One part that especially stood out was when she was thinking about how she was just a teenage girl and not a bad-ass heroine. I really liked that moment because I feel like it’s not something something that comes up for a lot of YA heroines. That moment of doubt because of how she’s just a normal girl was really refreshing.

As much as I enjoyed this series, I think Spell Bound is my least favorite. There’s a lot of action, so there’s a lot going on, but it just didn’t have the same appeal as the other two books. I think it’s because of certain things that I should have figured out in Demonglass, and because of things that seemed slightly out of place, while also not seeming out of place at the same time. Some things also seemed like they were glossed over.

Let’s Rate It:

I’m not sure what else to say about Spell Bound. There were quite a few funny moments, and I’m glad Sophie got her powers back in time to stop Lara’s evil plans, but something about it seemed less magical than the other two. It was still an entertaining listen, and Cris Dukehart really brought Sophie to life. Spell Bound gets 4 stars.

15Jan2014

ARC Book Review: Forever

Posted in Books by wingedcreature

Book: Forever by Karen Ann Hopkins

Expected Publication is January 28, 2013 by Harlequin Teen|Expected Number Of Pages: 328

Where I Got It: from netgalley.com

Series: Temptation #3

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

You can find Forever on goodreads

Goodreads Summary: All I want is my happily-ever-after.

That’s all I’ve wanted since meeting Noah Miller.

From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I’m carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there’s a storm on the horizon, and it’s sure to cause serious devastation.

If we can get through this, we’ll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.

But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off.

Forever wasn’t what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with how the series ended! There were definitely moments where I was irritated with quite a few characters, and there were also times when I thought everyone acted monumentally stupid, but given the choices everyone made, I suppose it’s to be expected.

So, Rose’s pregnancy. We see Noah hoping Rose is pregnant at the end of the 2nd book, and at the beginning of this one, he’s hoping she isn’t, because of how difficult it will be for them if she is. So there’s quite the change in attitude from Noah. And not just in regards to Rose’s pregnancy! Her dad doesn’t take it well, of course, and Rose puts off that particular conversation. However, she does seem relieved that her older brother is the one who told their dad.

Rose’s dad is the character who frustrated me the most in this series. I get his resistance to Rose becoming Amish, but he also didn’t seem to care about what Rose wanted. For most of the series, he’s been so dead-set against Rose becoming Amish…I felt like his resistance may have made being with Noah even more appealing. At the same time, Rose also didn’t seem to want to take her dad’s opinion into consideration.

Until Noah does something that I didn’t see coming…he actually decides to leave the Amish country behind. Part of it is things that happened after he broke off his engagement to Constance, and part of it is him actually coming to the realization that it wasn’t fair for Rose to sacrifice so much and for him to not sacrifice anything. I have two very different thoughts on this. The first one being it’s about time, and the other one being that it still seems weird that he would finally change his mind. I so very much wanted Rose to become Amish, and I’m finding that I’m slightly disappointed that it didn’t happen. Noah leaving the Amish community, but still living nearby…it does seem to work for them, but…it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

Another slightly frustrating thing was how Rose’s dad became a bit more accepting of her pregnancy once Noah said he was leaving the Amish community behind. I doubt her dad was completely okay with it, but it was irksome that it was more okay once it meant that Rose wasn’t going to be Amish. It’s one of those times when I wish we had a chapter or two narrated by her dad, because as frustrating as he was throughout the entire series, I still would have liked to see what he was really thinking.

Speaking of narration…we have Noah, Rose and Sam narrating, with the addition of Sarah as a narrator. I’m not sure how I feel about Sarah as a narrator, but it was nice to see how Noah and Rose’s actions were affecting her, just as it affected Sam. Because there are definitely consequences, and it’s not just Noah and Rose who have to deal with them…it’s also affecting those close to them.

Let’s Rate It:

Even though Forever is my least favorite in the series, I still really liked it! There’s a lot of drama, and there is a lot going on, but I liked that Rose and Noah finally got their happily-ever-after. Forever gets 4 stars.

14Jan2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Debuts I’m Looking Forward To

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by wingedcreature

Top Ten 2014 Debuts I’m Looking Forward To

It’s time for 2014 debuts! There are so many books that look really good, and I definitely have enough books I’m excited about to do at least one more list. But these are the ten I’m looking forward to the most!

Nuclear Winter by Guy Harrison. This one looks really good! It’s post-apocalyptic, and it takes place after World War 3 has ended very, very horribly. All I know is that Nuclear Winter is coming out sometime this month!
All That Glows by Ryan Graudin. I LOVE fairies, and the second I saw that it was about fairies, I knew I had to read it! I can’t wait until next month, when All That Glows comes out!
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. I don’t read fairy tale re-tellings very often, but Cruel Beauty seems really interesting! It’s a re-telling of Beauty and The Beast. At least it’s coming out in a few weeks, so I won’t have to wait long to read it!
Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash. I like the idea of a brooch and a necklace working together to essentially make you invisible. And there’s this group who doesn’t want anyone to know about it, and I can’t wait until February 17th to find out why wearing them together is so dangerous!
The Eighth Guardian by Meredith McCardle. I’m very intrigued by the idea of a test that reveals a secret organization that time travels to change the course of history. I am definitely looking forward to the expected release date of May 8th.
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy. What’s intriguing about this book is that the main character has cancer so she works on her bucket list…only to have her cancer go into remission and faced with the consequences of her bucket list. I’m looking forward to the March 18th release date.
Learning Not To Drown by Anna Shinoda. This book is definitely up my alley. There seems to be interesting family dynamic, and for some bizarre reason, I’m drawn to books about dsyfunctional families, so I’m definitely looking forward to the April 1st release of this book.
Prisoner Of Night And Fog by Anne Blankman. As much as I love historical fiction, I don’t read it very often. But I’m really excited about this book, set in Nazi Germany. Plus, the main character is the niece of Hitler, which seems like it’ll make this book different from some of the other books set during this time. I so want it to be April 8th, when this book is expected to be released.
Pandemic by Yvonne Ventresca. I think books about pandemics are interesting, mostly because I haven’t read many of them. This one seems particularly interesting, since something’s going on in Lilianna’s life well before disease struck. May 6th is the expected publication date for Pandemic.
The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings. The title is definitely interesting, and it was enough for to see what a book called The Murder Complex is about. It’s this world where the murder rate is higher than than the birthrate, and things ensue when the main character meets a guy who is a programmed assassin for the Murder Complex group that’s running the state of Florida. I can’t for June 10th, when The Murder Complex is going to be published!

12Jan2014

ARC Book Review: Heartbeat

Posted in Books by wingedcreature

Book: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Expected publication is January 28, 2013 by Harlequin Teen|Expected Number Of Pages: 240

*I did receive Heartbeat from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way. Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Heartbeat on goodreads & Elizabeth Scott on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and her website

Goodreads Summary: Life. Death. And…Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can’t tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn’t have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?