Want to Read #10

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

Release Date: October 25, 2012

How far would you go for love, beauty, and jealousy?

When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that--he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in--and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

Award-winning author Paul Griffin has written a high-stakes, soulful mystery about the meaning--and dangers--of love and beauty.

Want to Read #9

Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass

Release Date: October 2, 2012

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

This is a dazzling debut that will steal readers' hearts.

Want to Read #8

Unremembered (Unremembered, Book 1) by Jessica Brody

Release Date: March 5, 2013

The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

Want to Read #7

Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Release Date: April 2, 2013

There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.

Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.

Want to Read #6

Monument 14 (Monument 14, Book 1) by Emmy Laybourne

Release Date: June 5, 2012

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

***

Judging by the synopses, the book kind of reminds me of Gone by Michael Grant, which is one of my favorite books of all time. I'll definitely be getting my hands on this book soon! ;)

Want to Read #5

The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray

Release Date: October 13, 2013

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when seventeen-year-old Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

****

A whole year until I get to read it?!?! The synopsis makes me want to read it, and NOW. 

Want to Read #4

Crash (Visions, Book 1) by Lisa McMann

Release Date: January 8, 2013

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. 

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act—and act fast—to keep her vision from becoming reality.

Want to Read #3

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Release Date: June 7, 2011

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Want to Read #2

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Release Date: September 5, 2011

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other Schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight or haze a freshman. And on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won’t get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don’t count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming. In this hilarious and romantic reimagining of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, the battle of boys against girls is on.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Pages: 301
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Perpective: First Person
Age Group: Young Adult

Release Date: February 3, 2009

The first book in Alyson Noël's extraordinary new Immortals seris. Enter an enchanting new world, where true love never dies...

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school — but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wieling a magis so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Stars: 3/5

Cover: B

Plot: 
I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf for multiple years, but I still had no clue what it was about before I started reading it. I knew it had the supernatural/paranormal feel going on, but other than that I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. 

In general, I didn't find the book to be too riveting. There wasn't much suspense except for in the very end and there weren't very many plot twists. I did like the book, but overall I wouldn't say it was overly enthralling. 

Putting that behind me, I thought the premise for the book was actually really cool! I liked that it was a paranormal romance, but not about vampires or werewolves - it brought something new to the table.

Characters:
I really liked the main character, Ever. After her family was killed, she attained the power to see people's auras and hear their thoughts. I really liked that she could see auras because I don't think I have ever read a book where a character had that power.

On top of that, I liked Ever's personality. She was a fun character that was easily relatable to, even though she's so different. As for Damen, I wasn't swooning, and he didn't really stand out to me.

Writing: 
As I mentioned before, the book wasn't completely enthralling and the writing didn't capture me in 100%. It was a fairly quick read, though, so it was easy to shoot through the book.

Ending:
The ending was kind of weird because about seventy pages before the ending there was a climatic event, and it felt like the book should have ended right there. The book then continued to tie up loose ends for the next pages, but it was weird because it felt dragged on. 

Cover:
The book cover is nice because it's dark, but still beautiful. I liked that the tulips were incorporated because they're brought up multiple times throughout the story.

The Final Verdict:
I think this book would be great for a little bit of a younger audience. My little sister is 13, and I'm going to give her this book to read because the romance isn't too steamy and it won't be too scary for her. However, for an older audience this book may feel a little redundant.

FTC: Bought.

Want to Read #1

"Want to Read" is a meme that I am starting! Similar to "Waiting on Wednesday" it showcases a book that I am thoroughly looking forward to reading. However, it is unique in the way that the book could have already been released, and I have yet to get my hands on it; or I own it and it's been waiting for me in my To-Be-Read pile. Either way, I hope to open your eyes to some new books that you may not have heard about, and vice versa! :)

**This was originally going to be a weekly post, but I have so many books that I am just dying to get my hands on that I changed it to twice a week - Tuesdays and Fridays!**




Burn For Burn (Burn For Burn, Book 1) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: September 18, 2012

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.