Waiting on Wednesday (9)

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

Releases March 13th


Gallagher Girls 5!!! Need I say more? I love this series. It's really cute and fun. I cannot wait to see what Cammie gets into next!


What are you waiting for this week?
 

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.
When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect. 

First, I have to say, look at that gorgeous cover! Just look at it! I was instantly drawn in by it and had to pick it up. So pretty!!! And the story was even better! Loved it! It was exactly what I wanted it to be. A cute love story, an intriguing mystery, and a kind of magic I rarely read about. Now I think I'm hooked! 


Donna was injured when she was young by a terrifying fairy beast. Without the Maker, she would have lost her hands. But he used alchemy and iron to restore them. I was hooked right away.

The Order of the Dragon was so fasctinating! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book to learn more about them. Alchemy isn't something I've read much about, but this book made me want to look more into and pick up more books with it in it. There wasn't a ton in this book, so I'm hoping the Wood Queen brings more!

Navin was probably my favorite character. He was such a loyal friend who stuck by Donna no matter what, even when she got kicked out of school. Most people will never know how amazing it is to find someone like that. Even when she had to tell him the truth about her, it didn't make him love her any less. He was amazing. Which was why I was so mad when he got kidnapped! Argh! Leave the super awesome best friend alone!

Xan was a great love interest. He was sweet and really cared about Donna. They shared something that no one else could come close to relating to. And he was hot! Like seriously steamy. I liked watching their romance unfold.

Donna was the only character I couldn't really connect with. I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her either. I don't know what it was about her, but she just wasn't my favorite.

There were definitely more questions than answers with this book. Like what really happened to Donna. I can't wait to pick up Wood Queen and find out!

The Near Witch by Victioria Schwab

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget

Though the Near Witch starts off a little slow for my taste, once the story got rolling I really enjoyed it.

Lexi and her family live on the moor in a town called Near. This scenery was so beautiful and haunting. It was like the moor was alive and had a mind of it's own. If you just listened hard enough, it would tell you all it's secrets. But as Lexi's father always told her, the wind is lonely and always looking for company. I loved everything about the moor. I wanted to explore it and learn about it with Lexi. I wanted to get lost in it.

All the stories Lexi's father told her were beautifully written. There was a lot but I couldn't help wanting to hear more. Even though the father is dead the whole book, I felt like I knew him. It was clear he was a great man and father. I liked him the most, even though all we hear are stories about him.

The magic in this story was wonderful. It was 'old' magic, controlling elements instead of casting spells. I wish we saw more of this type in YA books.

Lexi was fierce and very protective. She was a great main character. She loved her family and her town and did everything she could to protect them. I admired that.

Cole kind of bothered me at first. I think it had something to do with how mysterious him was. It seemed a little unnatural and forced. But when he started to open up more, I really liked him.

The Near Witch is a hauntingly beautiful story that is well worth checking out. The writing has a very lyrical quality to it and I can't wait to see what Schwab comes out with next!

Have you guys read this? What did you think? 

Top Ten Tuesdays: Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Bahaha. I love the title of this weeks top ten. But this is going to be an incredibly hard list. I can only save tn books? Every book lovers nightmare! But we will give it a try....

1.  Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton
Even though we are now on book twenty in the Anita Blake series, Circus of the Damned remains my favorite. I loved the huge showdown, Anita meeting Richard, being marked for the first time. All of it. If I could only save one book in the series, it would have to be this one.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Now this one isn't necessarily my favorite, but it is the one I've read the least amount of times. I want to save it to make sure I could read it again and again. Make sure I absorbed everything in it, if that makes any sense at all...

3. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
This is an amazing series. I'd really want to save all of them, but I could live with just having the first one. I love the new ones, but I would chose the beginning of the series every time. Kick ass Rachel hunting down some badies as opposed to her being accused of being the badie.

4. Where There's a Witch by Madelyn Alt 
I love all the books in this series, but it this one Maggie FINALLY comes to her senses and starts seeing Marcus! I girl-squealed when they got together. That moment deserves to be saved.

5. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
This was the first ARC I ever received and I've grown quite fond of it. I tried to do a giveaway for it, but the first person who won never contacted me. So I picked another person. And never heard from them. My blog was still really new and I got frustrated and gave up. Now I'm kinda glad I did. I like being able to see the first ARC I ever got for review.  Plus, it was an AWESOME story and I can't wait for the second one!

6. May Day by Jess Lourey
This is the only signed book I have, and I'd be sorry if I lost it. I got to talk to the author for like twenty minutes and told her all about my dream of one day being a published author. She was awesome and very encouraging. She wrote me a very sweet message on the inside cover and it would make me sad if the aliens got their hands on it. 

7. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 
This is the first Gaiman book I read. And I fell completely in love with him.
This book is full of adventure, magic, and love. I wouldn't want to lose a book I loved as much as this one.

8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
While this wasn't my favorite in the series, the ending needs to be kept with me. Katniss was healthy and happy. And married to Peeta. I cried so many happy tears at the end of the series. Love, love.

9. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Much like Mockingjay, I would just want the ending. I'd read it over and over just to be sure Rose and Dimtri were really together, and really happy. They went through hell together and for each other and they deserved their happy ending.

10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I couldn't lose this story. It got me through some really hard times in high school and it would break my heart to lose this copy.

Alright that's my top ten. Any books in common? Make sure to leave a link to your top ten in the comments!!

Daily Dose (6)

Hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly

Daily Dose is about sharing pictures that inspire you, make you laugh, or you just think are pretty.

Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

When high school junior Natalie - or Dr. Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper - is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want. But the guys in her class won't give her straight or serious answers. The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected - especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

Summary taken from Goodreads 


First off, I love this cover! It was so adorable and playful I couldn't help but pick it up!


Babe in Boyland was a cute, but predictable read. If you've seen She's the Man (or read the original Shakespeare play) you've read this book. But it was still a fun read.


Natalie goes under cover as a boy at an all boys school to find out what boys really think about relationships and why boys do the things they do (which I'm sure all us girls would LOVE to know). As fate would have it, she gets a super hot, sensitive boy as her roommate. And of course, 
  she falls in love with him, but can't do anything about it. Hilarity ensues. 


Parts were laugh out loud funny. Especially the closet scene. SO funny! 


All in all, it was a cute, quick read. I'm glad I read it but didn't buy it. I'd say it's worth your time, but get it from the library or a friend.

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Hosted by Bending the Spine

Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.

And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.

Releases May 28th.
 

Abandon was my first Meg Cabot book. I really, really enjoyed it and I think Underworld  has the potential to be even better now that some of the back story is out of the way. Ooohh I cannot wait!


What are you waiting on?