In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. If you don't already participate in IMM, you definitely should, because it's a lot of fun! It gives us a chance to show off the books we've bought, received from publishers/NetGalley, kidnapped from friends, rented from Libraries or have just stumbled upon through the week. Basically, it's just a really fun way to show off our books!

The Breakdown:

Review:
The Selection by Kiera Cass (thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss)

Gifted:
The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George (thanks to Estelle at Rather Be Reading!)

Won:
Various Bookmarks! (thanks to Ashley at Book Labyrinth)

Unimportant update: Since I filmed this on Friday, the tickets for 1D hadn't gone on sale yet. Now that they have, Kaitlyn and I are not meeting up to see them in concert, unfortunately. There's always next time, right?

So what did you guys get this week? Leave me a link in the below so I can check out your books!

Review: Slipping Reality

 Title: Slipping Reality
 Author: Emily Beaver
 Pages: 272
 Published: July 2011
 Source: NetGalley

Summary: In a time of hardship and heartbreak, sometimes, reality just isn't enough. Slipping Reality is the story of fourteen-year-old Katelyn Emerson, who, when faced with the glaring reality of her brother's illness, rebels against the truth by slipping away into the depths of her own imagination. There, she finds the kind of support and comfort she feels she deserves. There, she does not have to feel so alone. And yet, as Katelyn's grasp on reality begins to unravel, so too does the story of a girl who grew up too fast and fell apart too soon. Emily Beaver's debut novel is a coming of age story that deals with the trials of young grief, insight, and growth where it's least expected.

Review: I tried. I really did.

When I started reading Slipping Reality, it was probably a few weeks ago, closer to the end of February, but I had to set it aside because after reading only fifteen pages, I was bored to the point that I wasn’t sure how to continue on. It wasn’t that there was a flawed plot, because I still think that the plot could create an amazing book if it were given more time and attention. It really had to do with a flawed character and amateur writing.

Before I say anything else, I want to say that it’s amazing that Emily Beaver write this novel at the age of fourteen and got it published. Having just graduated that awkward phase known as teenagerdom, I’m slightly jealous and definitely in awe that she’s managed to write, complete and publish a novel while entering high school. Kudos!

That being said, it was a bad decision to take on such an intense project and release it at such a young age. Maybe she’s experienced this exact feeling and somehow has managed to write it down in an almost diary-like fashion, but this novel needed time to mature in both writing styles and character developments. There’s only so many times that I can read about the Katelyn listening to her iPod, taking a shower and complaining about the fact that she’s given easy books to read in her English class before I start to go crazy.

The actual plot concept is really intriguing, and with editing, could make an amazing novel, but at the level of writing and characterization that it’s at, this is not something that I could put myself through, which is disappointing. I was really looking forward to reading this novel, and I’m really sad to say that it’s something that I couldn’t finish, let alone get over the halfway point. There was just too much showing, not enough telling. Too much of the same thing over and over. It wasn’t until about a fifth of the way into the plot that anything actually started to happen, and when it did, the uneventful, repetitive daily motions were introduced and the character went on internal monologues that were pages long and ended in resolving nothing.

It’s impressive that someone so young managed to publish their novel, but it’s unfortunate to say that it was a disappointment and could not be finished because of poor construction. I always hate to give novels bad reviews, and I hate it even more when I give a novel that I couldn’t manage to finish a bad review, but that’s just how it has to be, and hopefully the next attempt will succeed far better than Slipping Reality did.

Rating: ★★ 2/5 Stars

Guest Post and Giveaway: Whispering Hills by Taryn Browning

As you all know, yesterday on the blog, I posted a review for Whispering Hills by Taryn Browning for the Whispering Hills Tour. Today, though, I'm excited to announce that we have Taryn on the blog to let us know about who she would pick for her dream cast of Whispering Hills. Yay!


Alexis: Victoria Justice

Victoria makes a great Alexis with her long, straight brown   hair and brown eyes. She has a girl next door kind of look that fits Alexis. With her soft features and sweet smile she blends into the crowd even though she posses an ability unlike anyone else in her high school.

Chance: Casey Deidrick

Casey looks exactly like I pictured Chance while writing Whispering Hills - from his spiky, messy hair to his dark brown eyes. He's mysterious but could easily be the captain of a high school sports team. His fashion sense and taste in music may be straight from the early 90's, but he's still totally HOT...and working on updating his wardrobe!

Summer: Lucy Hale

I love Lucy Hale in Pretty Little Liars. When she wears the more harsh, smoky eye makeup, light foundation and dark lips, she definitely has Summer's look. Underneath the heavy makeup and blackish purple hair Summer is a pretty girl - just very misunderstood. She has her own supernatural abilities, making her even more of an outcast. Fortunately, Summer could care less about fitting in.

Gabriel: Chace Crawford

Truth be told, I've always thought Chance Crawford was extremely good looking. In this picture he has the brooding, bad-boy charisma with a hint of sarcasm that Gabriel exudes. The hair is perfect. Give him autumn-colored contacts and he's good to go. (I know, it's such a shame to cover up those gorgeous baby blues.)

(My apologies, Taryn. The photos that you had picked refused to upload so I tried to find the exact ones and/or the closest to them!)

Thank you, Taryn, for stopping by the blog, and now, we'd love to offer you guys a giveaway so that you can have a chance to read Whispering Hills as well!

There will be three winners and each will win one of the prizes listed below:

• 1 e-copy of Whispering Hills 
• 1 Signed Dark Seeker Bookmark
• 1 Signed Whispering Hills Bookmark

This is an international giveaway, so go on ahead and enter! The giveaway will close at the end of March.

Must be 13 or older to participate.

And here's the giveaway! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Whispering Hills

 Title: Whispering Hills
 Author: Taryn Browning
 Published: March 19th, 2012
 From: Received for Whispering Hills Book Tour

Summary: For as long as she can remember, 17-year-old Alexis Forbes can hear the thoughts of others. Most recently, she is disturbed by the dark, unfamiliar voice of a frightening killer: callous, cunning, charismatic…and dead.

She hears his every sinister thought. But she can’t tell anyone. No one would believe her. Alexis is suddenly being haunted by a terrifying past she doesn’t remember, and a ghost with a serious score to settle. Even Chance, the gorgeous new guy she’s falling for, has his own ghostly secret. He’s definitely not like any guy she’s ever met. Alexis soon discovers she has a connection to the dead and it runs much deeper than she could ever imagine. And if the sociopathic entity has his way, she’ll finally be sentenced to the fate she escaped thirteen years ago.

Review: Whispering Hills is a book that I was definitely excited to read when I found out about the book tour and I was so lucky that there was room for me on the tour! I have to say that I don’t regret it in the slightest. The book was really rather good and despite a few flaws, it was an enjoyable read that I finished in two days!

Alexis is seventeen years old and has been living in Whispering Hills her entire life. She’s just like every other teenager in her small town except for one small addition; she can hear people’s thoughts in her head. A new boy, Chance, shows up in her school this year and everything seems to change in her life thanks to him and his arrival.

I have to say that when I first started reading this book, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked it. The main character was written very well, and I have to say I liked Alexis a lot, which is something I can’t usually say for main characters. I’m all about the side characters and what they bring to the table, but Alexis ended up making me like her. Not nearly as much as Summer, I have to admit, but still, she was very likeable when it was all said and done.

Chance, on the other hand. I’m still not sure how I feel about him. The way that he came in and sort of took control over the novel, I wasn’t a huge fan about. I mean, I understand that it was important to the story line and that Alexis and Chance were intertwined in about a billion different ways (which really all just lead to one way but that’s not the point), but I just didn’t like the way he took over. All in all, he was an alright boy, but not one that I enjoyed.

The main reason I liked this book was for Summer and Gabriel. Summer’s just awesome, and I really want to be her. Or be her best friend, which I don’t think she’d like very much. Either way, it’d be awesome. Gabriel is just such an awesome, messed up character that I just wanted to know more about him. I’d really love to read a book in his POV and just see how he’s dealt with his life since the major incident in this novel. I’d love that more than life itself.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Whispering Hills. There were some problems that I had with it, mainly with the relationship between Alexis and Chance. I felt like I was riding the relationship rollercoaster with them, and I have to say it bothered me quite a bit, but other than that, it was good read. I’m really hoping that a sequel is in the works, but if not, I shall just continue to imagine what happened afterwards in Alexis’s life, as well as Summer’s, Chance’s and Gabriel’s.

If you’re looking for a good novel, or one that’s not the cookie-cutter YA novel, I’d definitely suggest that you give Whispering Hills a chance. It might just surprise you how good it is. It definitely did for me!

Rating: ★★★ 3/5 Stars

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox: The Late Edition. 

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. If you don't already participate in IMM, you definitely should, because it's a lot of fun! It gives us a chance to show off the books we've bought, received from publishers/NetGalley, kidnapped from friends, rented from Libraries or have just stumbled upon through the week. Basically, it's just a really fun way to show off our books!

The Breakdown:

Bought:

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (read and loved; review soon)

Divergent by Veronica Roth (see my review here!)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Hunger Games Gift Cards! (Free thanks to the cashier at B&N)

From Publishers/Authors:

Kings & Queens by Courtney Vail (Big thanks to Courtney for sending me the physical copy!)

From NetGalley:

Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein (Thanks to Entangled Publishing!)

Other:

This has nothing to do with books but I bought One Direction's Up All Night Yearbook Edition Album this week and I love them and couldn't resist the urge to share.

So what did you guys get in your mailboxes this week?

Leave a comment with the link below!

Our First Giveaway!

We're really, really excited to do our very first giveaway for you guys! Kaitlyn and I have talked about doing giveaways through the entire month of February and we wanted to plan one for March, so here we are!

Kaitlyn is being an absolutely awesome person this month and she's offering up a $20 Amazon gift card to the winner of our giveaway that you can use on absolutely anything that you want! How cool is that?

This contest is open to US only.
You must be 13 or older.
All we require is that you be a follower.

Winners have 48 hours to respond to emails before a new winner is chosen.

And that is it! (:

So go on ahead and enter in the rafflecopter form below! Good luck and happy March!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It allows us to share what we're looking forward to read in the upcoming months or even years.


This post is coming to you from Kaitlyn! (Crazy, I know, right? I do want to take a moment to apologise to all you lovely followers. School and family stuff has been so hectic around here! I promise, I'm reading as much as possible. Hopefully, there will be a review within the next day or two from me!) 


Kaitlyn's Pick: 

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first. 


I like that with this book, even in the summary, the author shows her style of writing and such. While this is a bit different, I have to admit, I'm drawn in by the oddity of the plot! I can't wait till it comes out!

Rhee's Pick:

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Publication Date: June 12th 2012

Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.

But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever. 

    

This book has such a beautiful cover, and I have to say that's what drew me in, but the reason I'm dying to read it is because of it's plot. I love the sound of this futuristic novel and is it June yet?

So what are you guys waiting on this Wednesday? Let us know!

Review: Wanderlove

Title: Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Pages: 352
Published: March 13th, 2012

Summary: It starts with a question. Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Review: When I requested this book on NetGalley, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had just seen that a few other people I follow had requested it and while the concept sounded interesting, I wasn’t sure that it’d be at the top of my reading list.

I was so, so very wrong.

Bria’s struggling to get away from memories of a bad breakup and the looming, overwhelming concept of college rushing in just around the corner. She and her boyfriend, Toby, ended up badly and her dreams of going to an art school with him were destroyed by the breakup, so she’s off to another country in search of a much-needed vacation, only to find that she’s ending up with more than she expected. I jumped into this book, a little bit scared to travel with Bria, but mostly excited at the chance to escape into a country that I’ll probably never visit through a book that I normally wouldn’t have picked up off a bookshelf. Travelling with Bria down to Guatemala was an exciting experience, but ending up on the Global Vagabond tour was not. When Bria signed up for excitement and a chance to explore a new country, she didn’t expect to get saddled with a trip full of elderly people and end up just stopping at main tourist attractions.

To be quite honest, I didn’t either.

But then Bria meets Rowan and Starling and her entire trip becomes a new experience. Up to this point, I was just liking the novel, but Bria’s chance to start backpacking around a country she knew nothing about (and even go to another new country) was what made me fall in love with the novel. The experience and the desire to take a journey like this was overwhelming and I found myself clinging to this novel, forcing my nose closer and closer to my Kindle as I followed Bria everywhere she went, and experienced all of her emotions.

Overall, this novel far exceeded my expectations. I knew, based on others’ reviews, that I was going to finish reading Wanderlove and like it, but I never even knew just how much I was going to love. The chance to jump into uncharted waters and just experience fun was something so thrilling and breathtaking that I couldn’t bear to tear myself away from this book!

When I was nearing the end, the last thing I wanted to do was actually let it end, but the ending itself was just as amazing as the rest of the book. The descriptions in the novel were so beautiful that I could picture the scenery and all I want to do now is take a month off of life and go down to Guatemala and Belize and just explore the entire world. I can’t imagine a better idea of what to do for the month of April! Unfortunately, it’s not happening, but I know that the second this book hits the shelves, I’m getting a copy to have on my shelves. If I can’t backpack in real life, at least I can in the literary world, travelling alongside Bria and her companions through the exciting world of Central America.

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Stars