2012: End of the Year Book Giveaway!

It's nearing the end of the year! So that means a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive ONE book of their pick on December 28th. Simply follow the rules and stuff below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

White Cat by Holly Black

Published: February 18th 2011
Pages: 310
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars:  ★★★

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by the slightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. But not Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider—the straight kid in a crooked family—as long as you ignore one small detail: He killed his best friend, Lila. Now he is sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat. He also notices that his brothers are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of one huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the con-men.

I have heard people raving about Holly Black for a little over a year now but I have never read anything by her before a side from some short stories. So while I was out browsing cheap bookstores, I found the first two books in this series for four dollars a piece and I've heard people say that this was her best series so far.

Anyway, I really enjoyed White Cat and it only took me two days to finish. I loved the Characters Cassel, Lila and the Grandfather but I hated everyone else. Also the character development was lacking and there wasn't much action. Because of this, it took me a little bit to figure out exactly what I should rate this and I settled for 3 stars. It's a series I am defiantly going to keep reading but nothing that I am dying to finish.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Published: November 21st 2011
Pages: 366
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars: ★★★★★


What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button?

 It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

I have wanted to read this book for a long time because Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is one of my favorite books and this seemed like a very cute story. However, I have heard mixed reviews so I waited until I could get it for a cheaper price. So when I got a 40% off coupon for the book store, I made sure to grab this.

The Future of Us follows 16 year Emma and Josh after they discover Facebook 15 years into the future during the 1990s. Most of the book is about them trying to change the future to their liking while still trying to keep their friendship going. I thought that it was a very cute story and probably one of the best YA romance books since Anna and the French Kiss that I have read.The Characters were wonderful and the plot was addicting. It really held my attention very well and I was pleased with the ending.

So if you are looking for a cute YA novel, I highly recommend The Future of Us. In fact, I would love to see a sequel. Maybe to present time.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Published: June 14th 2012
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback (new)
Stars: ★

 Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be contained or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby. But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has deeply hidden away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

First of all I want to say, I had a hard time rating this book at first. Simply because I've read worse books then this but I still pretty much hated it. Why? I hated the characters and this is a book in which there was no character development and nothing really happens. It was basically all about Chloe talking about her sister Ruby. It was almost like Chloe was making up a list on why her sister was perfect yet a bitch at the same time. Then when you find out some things about Ruby, they make almost no sense because there is no reasoning behind it. It was like reading half a book or watching only some of a movie. It was 304 pages but it took me a week to read just because it could not grab my attention.

My advice is to just skip this one. The blurb might seem interesting but to me, it was a big fail.

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Published: May 1st 2011
Pages: 359
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★

When her best guy friend falls victim to what seems like a vicious hate crime, 16-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

This is a book I've wanted to read since it first came out but I wanted until it came out in paperback for some unknown reason. Just something I would pass every time I was at the bookstore. The plot however always jumped out at me because you see a lot of YA books about depressed teenagers and same sex relationships but usually not actual hate crime stories. Sadly it's something that happens all the time but not a lot of authors (YA wise) actually write about it.
Now, I will be the first to say that through most of the book, I didn't like Cat all that much. I just found her to be too goody-goody, younger then she was suppose to be (16) and annoying. But as I got more into the book, the more I liked her.
As for the setting of the book and the other characters, I LOVED. It was very realistic and I felt that I was actually part of the story. The other Characters were raw and very real. The only real complaint I have is that I think certain words were used in the book way too much (cocksucker,   faggot, fag..etc) Which I understand it was realistic and the plot of this book, it worked but I felt that at times, the words were used for the fun of it.
Overall, I would say the plot to this book is very important for younger people to read and even adults because it shows how awful it is to treat people badly because of their sexual per fences and how bad choices hurt everyone around them.

I would Find a Girl Walking by Kathy Kelly

Published: April 5th 2011

Pages: 293
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars: ★ ★ ★ 

"I would be drinking and lonely, thinking about all the couples having fun together. And here I am, single, haveing no fun at all. Then I would go out riding around and I would find a girl walking..."-Gerald Stano

His licence plate read: No riders except blondes, brunettes, and redheads. With his flared polyester pants, open nylon shirt, and disco music on his eight track, Gerald Stano believed he was quite the ladies' man. And should a girl dare fracture his ego, he killed her.

By the time he was twenty-eight, Gerald confessed to murdering up to forty women over an eleven-year period. How they died was left to the moment: strangled, stabbed, drowned, or shot. Why? They crossed Gerald's path and were tossed out like trash. But there were other troubling questions: How did this obsessive loner lure so many women into his car? And how could so many appalling crimes go unconnected for so long?

Based on exclusive access to the killer-and extensive correspondence with him-as well as interviews with the lead investigator and the victims' families, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.

I am a huge fan of True Crime Books and I read at least one every month. So when I found this at Barnes and Noble, I was really excited because it sounded just like the kind of True Crime books I love. Sadly, I was pretty disappointed.

First of all, they repeat the same things over and over again through-out the book. Every single Killing is the same, all of his confessions are the same and the theories..all the same. I almost felt that they tried to sugar-coat the story and make it seem less brutal. I also wouldn't call him one of the biggest Serial Killers to read about either. There are SO many more serial killers that were more interesting to read about.

I am not trying to sound heartless because I do highly feel for the victims and their stories. Some of them really broke my heart but I feel that the author just didn't write a good true crime book to really bring Gerald to justice. It felt rushed, too repeated and like the person had no emotion whatsoever to the case at hand.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Published: May 1st 2011

Pages: 336
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

When I finish started reading Saving June, I didn't like it at all. I thought it was a pretty basic young adult book and nothing really jumped out at me. But as I got more into the book, the more I fell in love with it. Harper, Laney and Jake are some of the best characters in any young adult book that I have read. Why? Simple, they are realistic. They are a group of teenagers with very different personalities but at the same time, they all want the same thing: to figure out who they are and why they are alive.

On top of that, it has an adorable romance that slowly grows during the whole book. The only complaints I have are: 1.) I wish it would have gone further into the story then it did. I would have liked to know what happened with the characters later down the line. 2.) June's reasoning for what she did is never explained. Which was VERY disappointing. 

Guess Whose Back?

I am back! I need to revamp this blog but then I will be officially posting reviews and stuff :)