Review - Matched

Matched
By Ally Condie
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Series: Matched

Product description:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Review:
So imagine yourself in a society where everything is chosen for you, what you eat, where you work, what you wear, everything even who you are to spend your life with. Everyone in the society seems to be perfectly fine with the way the system is working. That is until Cassia is matched with her best friend Xander when she looks at his information on her data screen another persons face appears - and it's someone she also knows. Not too long after her grandfather passes away (or is put to rest as people in this dystopian society only live until the age 80) and last thing he tells her that her grandmother would say about this whole match incident - don't you ever wonder. This of course gets her thinking more and more about Ky the other person she saw on the screen. This story shows the connection between Cassia and Ky and how it grows even though they are not supposed to be together. This society is not one I want to belong to that's for sure. I don't want to give any spoilers but all I can say is that I cannot wait for the next book thank goodness it comes out soon. This little courtship between the two of them really has me intrigued, their stolen moments in privacy so sweet and innocent. The ending leads to so many possibilities. We shall wait and see what Ally Condie has in store for us.

Look out for the second book comes out 11/1/11 - Crossed by Ally Condie.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":

Silence
By Becca Fitzpatrick
Release Date: October 4, 2011

Product Description:
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.
....

I’ve read the first two books this is the third in the series and I can’t wait to see what happens, there is just something about Patch that gets me every time.

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: •Grab your current read •Open to a random page •Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) •Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser:
“Will you teach me?” I ask.

“I’m not supposed to do that.”

“We’re not supposed to be doing any of this,” I remind him. Sounds drift up from the tangled trees and undergrowth below us. Someone is coming. I feel desperate to make him promise to teach me before anyone gets here and this moment vanishes. “We’re not supposed to know poems or writing or ...” I stop myself. I ask again. “Will you teach me?”
.....
I’ve given up on talking to him again today when I feel someone brush past me. At the same time I hear a word so soft and quiet I wonder if he said it up on the hill and the wind has just now carried it down to me.
The word is yes.
 
Matched by Ally Condie
 
I couldn't resist giving the answer to her question.  I'm loving this book, review to come soon! 

Review: Glow

Glow

By: Amy Kathleen Ryan

Release Date: September 13, 2011

Series: Sky Chasers #1

Product Description:
If a violent battle destroyed the only world you’ve ever known, would you be brave enough to save who was left? Would love be strong enough to survive the fight? Either way, there’s no turning back.

The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Still, there’s a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
Suddenly, Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.

Review:
I know I mentioned previously that this might compare to Hunger Games, which many have said.  But I would have to disagree, it was good but it definitely wasn't the Hunger Games (which I'm currently waiting to watch the first preview on MTV).  So overall this book was good, the characters were good and Waverly the main character was very believable.  I am very intrigued by her relationship with Seth, even though she is engaged to Kieran.  The story begins with them on their own ship and shows the way they live there lives when they go under attack from another ship who can't reproduce.  With the future of Earth on every one's mind their main purpose is to reproduce so that the future of humankind will continue.  Now that right there I think is crazy, all the girls are kidnapped because the other ship can't reproduce.  You see how some of the girls are so gullible but there are still others like Waverly who are willing to fight for themselves to go back to their own ship where all their boys are, and hopes of more adults.  It's a tough journey that everyone must go through and the story is told through sections where one section will be about all the girls and their tribulations on the oppositions ship and then there is the section of the boys and their troubles on the original ship where there are only boys left as the adults are either on the verge of dying or already gone.  I can't wait to see what the second book comes with but I will have to say that I kind of wish the book ended slightly different, maybe a cliffhanger, because even though no one likes a cliffhanger it makes it that more exciting.  If you get to read this book please let me know what you thought of it.  Happy Reading everyone!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)
by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6, 2011

Product Description:In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart
................................

I cannot wait for this book at all, there is just something about the characters that Cassandra Clare creates you just want to be in their world.  She had a great series with The Mortal Instruments, but with the Victorian era in the Infernal Devices it just brings a whole new level of excitement

Tuesday Happenings

Archangels' Kiss

by Nalini Singh

Published: February 2, 2010

Series: The Guild Hunter Series

Product Description:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find that she has become an angel-and that her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, likes having her under his control. But almost immediately, Raphael must ready Elena for a flight to Beijing, to attend a ball thrown by the archangel Lijuan. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan's power lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena...

Review:
And so continues the adventure of Elena the Guild Hunter and Raphael her Archangel.  Here she is an angel, but still always a hunter we learn more about her past and what happened to her sisters as her memories start to reappear.  There's a stronger bond that is formed between the two main characters.  Of course there is always someone out to get Elena as she is a newly "made" angel which is not something anyone has every seen.  There's the chase, the fighting, the loving, thoughts and caring in this book.  There were new characters introduced or delved into deeper which I would love to learn more about hopefully in the next book we'll learn a little more about Raphael's 7.  Good book, on to the next one. 

*********************************************************************************
I really thought I was going to be able to read more while on vacation, but the beach needed my attention more than my dear kindle did.  Hopefully will get back in there with more books.  Does anyone have any suggestions out there?  I'm looking for more series to read. 

Friday Happenings

Angels' Blood
By Nalini Singh
Published: March 3, 2009
Series: The Guild Hunter Series

Product Description:
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.

Review:
Any book that has vampires and angels and mortals in it, is OK by me. I've got a million books on my kindle and searching to see what was available and what I felt in the mood for I found this book and figure OK I have the whole series let me check it out. I'm happy I did. The ending alone was well worth the read. It was interesting to see a society where Angels are above vampires and they are their makers. Throw in a little romance and true love, yeah it was a good book. The characters were great, stubborn girl meets stubborn guy and they are perfect for each other, with a good story in between.  Can't wait to see what they are up to after an ending like that.  On to the next book in the series.

Note: I will be basking in the sun at the beach on vacation :-) I'm hoping to get a couple books read and ready for review.  Until Next week happy reading everyone!

Plan to Read

Glow
by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Release Date: September 27, 2011

I received this ARC not too long ago in the mail but have been putting it off. I'm leaving for vacation this week and am definitely bringing it with me. Here's the Product Description:

If a violent battle destroyed the only world you’ve ever known, would you be brave enough to save who was left? Would love be strong enough to survive the fight? Either way, there’s no turning back.

The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Still, there’s a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

Suddenly, Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.

Pulse-pounding and addictive, GLOW begins the most riveting series since The Hunger Games.

Now anything that is compared to The Hunger Games (which I can't wait for the movies to start coming out) will always have me wanting to read it. I really do hope it can compare to such a great series like the one created by Suzanne Collins. Only time will tell - review to come!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. Anyone can play along just tell us which book you are waiting to read.

Lola and the Boy Next door
by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: September 29, 2011

Synopsis:
For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.
When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.


If this book is anything like her first book "Anna and the French Kiss", then it's sure to be another favorite of mine. And just think only a little over a month and I'll be able to read it, so excited!

What book are you waiting to read?

Monday Reviews

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Synopsis: Abby accepted that she can't measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby's life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she'd never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

Review: Elizabeth Scott has to be one of my favorite authors in Young Adult books. There is just something about the way she develops different characters that makes you recognize a little of yourself in them. You are instantly transported into their world and take a journey through their lives and situations. In this book we meet Abby who is down on her self because she doesn't think she can compare to her older sister Tess, who is in a coma and she needs to wake her up.

It's a book about discovering who you are and that looks can be deceiving. We may think you know someone but unless you look beneath the surface and really look at the person you will never know who they are. Abby discovers her sister was not as perfect as she seemed to be. And I think the main lesson in this book is that you can't judge a book by it's cover, it's an old saying but 100% true. This is something I think is lesson everyone should learn.

I really enjoyed this and Elizabeth Scott definitely surprised me in the end. I don't want to say too much because then I will totally give it away. A must read for the summer (even though it's almost over ugh I can't believe September is around the corner).

It's Been A while ...

So I know it's been a while - not like anyone really reads this though but I'm going to try and start this book blog all over again with a fresher new outlook. With my lovely Kindle constantly attached to my hand - it's like the 6Th finger I never had. Believe me many people tell me constantly to put the book down. But I don't know what it is I just can't seem to put it down and really I don't want to. I love to read, I love to escape into other realities. Be someone else for a change - rather than dull me. So I'm going to attempt to go back to reviewing the books. With a more reviewers type of attitude. Unbiased etc etc. Hope you come and join me on my adventure. Let's see if I can get the word out there :-)