Tuesday, August 30, 2011

TBR Tuesday. Bad Girls Don't Die.

To make up for the lack of reviews, I'm going to take part in another meme. This one is hosted by The Book Rat.

This meme is about, in her words, "Most of us have books we've bought with all intentions of reading (or maybe just because it was cheap!), only to have them fade away on a shelf or disappear into a stack of books, never to be seen or thought of again.
TBR Tuesday is a way to talk about the books we own but haven't read, see what other people think about them, and help us decide whether to bump it up our list or knock it off completely."

So my first TBR Tuesday is:
When Alexis’s little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey’s shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?



I bought this at HPB awhile back and was itching to read it right away. But here we are, months later and it's still sitting on my shelf. So what did you guys think? Worth moving up the pile?

Also, don't forget to tell me about your TBRs!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

In My Mailbox (1)

IMM is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

Welcome to my first IMM. Please excuse the roughness of this video (and how many times I say I'm excited to read something).



For Review:
The Ruin

Bought:
Spirit Bound
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Supernaturally
The Duff
The Iron Witch

EDIT: So sorry the video wasn't working!!! Someone be a dear and tell me if it's good now?

Just a warning...

I probably won't post a review this next week because I'm trying to get some adult books read that I've been meaning to get to for forever. Hang in there though! I'm just gonna knock out one or two than it's back to some great YA novels!


this has been a public service announcement from Amanda.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead


The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love
?



I'm not even sure where to start. I finished this last night and I'm still kinda speechless.

Well if you've read the early books, you know that Rose and Dimitri are perfect for each other, tried to stay apart cause of the age thing, finally got together, then he was turned into a Strigoi. Really Richelle Mead? Ouch! That one hurt a little. But if you thought the last book made you sad, wait until you actually see Dimitri as a Strigoi. At various points in this book I was crying and practically yelling things like "HE'S NOT REALLY DIMITRI! KILL HIM ROSE!!" This entire book I was either incredibly sad and insanely angry.

When you read this book, there is going to be a long part where you are absolutely and completely pissed off at Rose. She loses herself for awhile and it was painful to read. I practically cheered when the old Rose came back.

While my heart does belong to Dimitri, I am starting to really, really like Adrian. He has his issues but he is really starting to grow on me. I hope Rose does give him a real shot like she promised. And on the other hand, I am starting to like Lissa less and less. I can't really put my finger on why. Maybe it's because she is in constant need of saving. I like a girl who can take care of herself.

I enjoy this series so much. As in, going to go buy the next one tomorrow. Cannot wait. And then there's Bloodlines soon! Yes!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel


Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune, and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, steampunk meets romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.


Dearly, Departed was the first steampunk I've ever read, and I loved it! I cannot wait to pick up another one.

Habel did an amazing job of blending Victorian England with new technology. I'm always skeptical about multiple point of view books but Habel did it so well. You never forgot whose head you were in because they were so unique and had a very clear voice of their own.

This whole story was unique and new to me. The zombies in this were something I've never heard of. Good zombies? Fighting for the army? I was hooked right away! And then there were the characters. Nora and Bram were amazing together. Usually I fall for the male interest, but I fell for them as a couple. They made each other better.

And while I did love them, the character who completely swept me off my feet was Pamela, Nora's best friend. Soon I was scrambling for the chapters from her point of view. Watching her grow into her own woman was my favorite part of the story.

Dearly, Departed comes out October 18 (the day before my 21st birthday. Woo!). Pick it up. Seriously!