Tag Archives: 2014 books

ARC Book Review: Manor Of Secrets

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Manor Of Secrets CoverBook: 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.

Book Review: City Of Ashes

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City Of Ashes CoverBook: 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.  

Audio Book Review: Spell Bound

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Spell Bound CoverBook: 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.

ARC Book Review: Forever

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Forever CoverBook: 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.  

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

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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.

Top Ten Tuesday Header

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!

  1. 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!
  2. 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!
  3. 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!
  4. 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!
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7.  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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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!

ARC Book Review: Heartbeat

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Heartbeat CoverBook: 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?

My Review:

When I saw what Hearbeat was about, I knew it was something I had to read, because it’s not a topic covered in fiction.  Well, it’s not something that I’ve seen.  Still, I liked that it’s so different than a lot of other books I’ve read in terms of plot.  You have Emma, who believes her mom wouldn’t want to stay alive just because of her younger brother, and that her step-dad Dan is a total monster for putting her brother before her mom.  And Dan is on the complete opposite side, believing it is what Emma’s mom would want.

I can’t even BEGIN to imagine what it would be like for both Emma and Dan to deal with what they’re dealing with.  I get why Emma blamed Dan (and her brother, to a certain extent), and I might have done the same thing if I were in her situation.  Still, I found it to be irritating by the end of the book, and while I wanted to feel sympathy for her, I really couldn’t.  I get her grief and that Dan maybe forgot about her and didn’t ask her about what she thought about her mom being on life support, but…actually, I’m finding that I’m more sympathetic towards Dan, for having to make that decision.  It was just really hard for me to like her, as weird as it may seem.  Her thought process (and Dan’s too, come to think of it) do make a little more sense towards the end of the novel, when they actually talk to each other.

I did like that Emma gave Caleb a chance, and that there’s a reason for why he acts the way he does. And of all of the characters in the book, he’s also the one that understands what Emma is going through the most.  So it’s good that they have each other to work through everything that’s happened in their lives, you know?

Back to Dan wanting to keep Emma’s mom on life support in order to give his unborn son a chance at survival.  You can’t help but wonder what you’d do in that situation, and there’s definitely the ethics of it to think about.  It really does give you a lot to think about.  The difference in opinion Dan and Emma have does make for an interesting conflict, because you get both sides of the issue.  And even when they’re both being a little unfair to the other…they also make sense at the same time.  There are no easy answers for Dan and Emma.

Let’s Rate It:

I know it would seem like I didn’t like Heartbeat, but I actually did like it.  It’s definitely because of the decisions that Dan had to make, and it’s definitely something to think about, whether or not you agree with what he decided.  It was hard for me to care about Emma,  but I also understand why she acted the way she did.  Heartbeat gets 3 stars.

Book Review: It’s Not Summer Without You

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It's Not Summer Without You CoverBook: It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Published April 2010 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers|288 Pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Summer #2

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find It’s Not Summer Without You on goodreads & Jenny Han on Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and her website

Goodreads Summary: Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started–at Cousins Beach.

I just LOVED It’s Not Summer Without You!  I knew it would be completely amazing when I started crying by, like, 10 pages in. Belly’s story continues a year after The Summer I Turned Pretty (henceforth known as TSITP), with another summer that is happening at home, and not at Cousins Beach.

I loved It’s Not Summer Without You (AKA INSWY) so much more than TSITP.  Belly has changed quite a bit since last summer, and with Susannah being sick and everything that happened with Conrad…you see everything that’s happened since the end of TSITP in flashbacks, and how it led to the events of INSWY, and I liked that we got those flashbacks of what happened.

What makes INSWY so different from TSITP is that we get a glimpse of what Belly’s life is like when she’s not at Cousins Beach, and especially what her summers could have been like if she didn’t spend her summers at Cousins Beach.  I have to admit that I’m not sure how I feel about Belly when she isn’t at the beach house, because it’s where she belongs.  Summer really isn’t the same when it’s not at Cousins Beach, but thankfully, things get straightened out, and she spends some time with Conrad and Jeremiah at Cousins Beach after all.

A big part of the book is the death of Susannah, and you REALLY feel it in INSWY.  You really do, and you see how all of the characters are dealing with it…and it’s why summer just feels so different.

Another reason why this book is different than the first is that part of the book is narrated by Jeremiah. I actually really liked it, and I liked having a different perspective on things and how/when he started to fall for Belly.  It’s so weird, though, because the first book, I wanted him and Belly to end up together but in this book, I wanted her to be with Conrad, so it’s quite the conundrum for Belly in terms of romance.  Jeremiah really is the better guy, but I also like the the glimpses of who Conrad really is.  You know, behind all the angst and stuff.  I have no clue who I want Belly to be with.  Jeremiah’s great, but I think she’ll always love Conrad, and I have the feeling she may end up with him.  But…it really could go either way, so we’ll have to wait and see in the next one for that.

I felt so nostalgic while reading It’s Not Summer Without You, which is another reason why I loved it so much.  I just kept thinking of my summer vacations, and for whatever reason, I feel like I read it at the right time.  Like, when I read it, I needed to read something like it, even though I didn’t know it was what I needed at the time.  Does that make sense?  Because I’m feeling like that doesn’t make a lot of sense.  Still, I love the nostalgia I felt when I read it.

Let’s Rate It:

It feels weird to start the year off with such a special book, but that’s exactly what It’s Not Summer Without You is!  I loved it even more than The Summer I Turned Pretty, and while I was so sad for a lot of the characters, I also loved seeing one last summer at Cousins Beach…even though I have the feeling we’ll be going there again in the next book.  It’s Not Summer Without You gets 5+ stars.  

Audio Book Review: Demonglass

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Demon Glass CoverBook: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins, Narrated by Cris Dukeheart

Published July 2012 by Tantor Media|Length: 8 hours, 23 minutes

Where I Got It: Audible.com

Series: Hex Hall #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Demonglass on goodreads & Rachel Hawkins on Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries).  But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father.  What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves.  Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates?  They’re demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good.  Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore.  Does she?

Demonglass!  I really liked it, and this series is super-interesting!  Things got REALLY interesting in this book, and it’ll be interesting to see how they play out in the last book.

Sophie certainly has an adventure in London with her friends, and she definitely LEARNS THINGS about her family and the council. The ending of Demonglass?  Not what I was expecting!  Which is why I really want to read the next (and last) book in the series, because Sophie has to go to a very unexpected place to get her mother.  And because of certain things that happened.

So…Archer.  I found that I didn’t really care about Archer, who seems all over the place.  I just really want him to go away, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen.  I did, however, find that I have a soft spot for Cal, who surprised me at the end of the book. Although…I’m actually fine with no romance in this one, because I really don’t like Sophie and Archer together.  But I also don’t like her with Cal, even though I really like him as a character.  Sophie does have a lot on her mind in Demonglass, so romance wasn’t a big thing in this one.

And what about Sophie?  I liked that she made progress with her powers, and we learn why hers so strong.  (hint: it’s because she’s a demon).  I love how snarky Sophie is, but other than that, I don’t have any other thoughts on her as a character.  Which is weird, because I should have more thoughts about her, but at the moment I don’t, so there you go.

Oh, the two demons that Sophie meets!  Nick is certainly interesting, but the other one (you know, whatshername) isn’t coming to mind at all.

Overall, Demonglass had quite a few humorous moments, but it did get a bit more serious towards the end of the book.  It would seem that things are going to go down in the next one, and I was really was surprised by certain things that happened.  I know I’ve been really vague, but it’s certainly plot-twisty enough for me to not want to spoil it.

Rating Time!

I really liked Demonglass (which didn’t make too much of an appearance in the book) but I don’t think I liked it nearly as much as Hex Hall.  Demonglass gets 4 stars.

ARC Book Review: Where You’ll Find Me

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Where You'll Find Me CoverBook: Where You’ll Find Me by Erin Fletcher

Expected Publication is January 7, 2014 by Entangled Teen|Expected Number Of Pages: 190

Where I Got It: from Entangled Teen, which hasn’t influenced my review.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Where You’ll Find Me on goodreads & Erin Fletcher on Twitter

Goodreads Summary: When Hanley Helton discovers a boy living in her garage, she knows she should kick him out. But Nate is too charming to be dangerous. He just needs a place to get away, which Hanley understands. Her own escape methods (vodka, black hair dye, and pretending the past didn’t happen) are more traditional, but who is she to judge?

Nate doesn’t tell her why he’s in her garage, and she doesn’t tell him what she’s running from. Soon, Hanley’s trading her late-night escapades for all-night conversations and stolen kisses. But when Nate’s recognized as the missing teen from the news, Hanley isn’t sure which is worse: that she’s harboring a fugitive, or that she’s in love with one.

Where You’ll Find Me is such an interesting book!  I liked it, and I liked Hanley’s story.  By the way, I love the name Hanley- it really seems to fit her!

Initially, I wasn’t sure about Where You’ll Find Me.  It was very obvious that something big was the reason why Hanley acted the way she did, and in the end, we learn why she’s acted the way she did. Including acting like things were fine, even though they weren’t fine.  And Nate’s story!  It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but I liked that they found a friend in each other- someone who understands what the other was going through.  I felt for both Hanley and Nate, but it was Nate who I really felt for.

I think a big reason why I wasn’t sure about Where You’ll Find Me is that the beginning is a bit on the cliché side.  But it was how the story unraveled that made me really like this book, especially the last few chapters.  Once you learn more about Hanley, you understand why she’s doing what she’s doing.

I would have liked to see more of Hanley’s relationship with her sister and her parents.  I did like how her relationship with her sister changed by the end of the book, and how her parents came through for her at the end of the book, but I think I would have liked to see a few glimpses of what her relationship with them was like before everything happened.  Seeing what her life was like before everything happened would have been a nice contrast to how things are for now.  At least for me.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Where You’ll Find Me, and I’m looking forward to reading more books by Erin Fletcher!  I liked that Hanley came to accept that things weren’t fine and that she started to accept what happened.  I liked that she and Nate have this really strong bond, and that they had someone they could talk to. Where You’ll Find Me gets 3 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Releases I Am Dying To Read

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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.

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Top Ten 2014 Releases I Am Dying To Read

I can’t believe it’s almost 2014!  This year went by really fast, but it also means that some amazing books are coming out sometime in the next year.  There are so many books I’m looking forward to reading, and while quite a few are the last books in their respective series, I’m still excited to see how things turn out.  And I think it’ll be the reason why I get caught up on the series I need to catch up on.  Here are the books I’m really looking forward to reading!

  1. Cress by Marissa Meyer.  I think I’m looking forward to Cress the most, and February 4 seems so far away.  I’m definitely going to be waiting impatiently for Cress to come out.
  2. Infinite by Jodi Meadows.  Because I’m looking forward to seeing how everything gets wrapped up.  And I want to see life outside of Heart and Range!  At least January 28th isn’t too far away!
  3. Ruin And Rising by Leah Bardugo.  It’s the last Grisha book.  I’m sad that this series will be over, but I also want to know how it all ends.  It’s going to be long wait for June 3.
  4. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi.  I’m super-excited about Ignite Me, even though I still need to read Unravel Me.  I’m definitely planning to be all caught up by February 4!
  5. Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins.  This series is definitely one of my favorite paranormal series, and while I’m sad to see the series end, I also want to know how it ends.  Like most of the other books on this list.
  6. Dreams Of Gods And Monsters by Laini Taylor.  I still need to read Days Of Blood And Starlight, but I’m still excited about this one.  I’m hoping to be all caught up by April 8, when Dreams Of Gods And Monsters is expected to be released.
  7. Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi.  Because it’s Into The Still Blue, and who isn’t excited about it?  I can’t wait until January 28th, when it’s expected to come out!
  8. Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  I got so excited when I heard there was going to be a spin-off of Beautiful Creatures that focuses on Ridley and Link.  Because I’ve always liked their relationship, and it’ll be nice having a series where they take center stage.  I’m definitely looking forward to May 6.
  9. Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.  I LOVED Anna And The French Kiss, and really liked Lola And The Boy Next Door, and I can’t wait to read Isla.  May 13th is the expected release date for Isla, and it seems so far away!
  10. Forever by Karen Ann Hopkins.  I’ve been looking forward to January 28 for a while…because of how Belonging ended.  I just need to know how everything gets resolved!