Waiting on Wednesday: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine. It is an opportunity for us to show books we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week, my pick is:

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
Release Date: April 30th, 2013

Embrace Your Destiny 

Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, promised herself she'd never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She'd been naive to make such a claim. She'd been naive about a lot of things. 

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school's party girl. And all the while there's Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind. 

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of the Duke of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: Is loving someone worth risking your life?

I've just read Sweet Evil this week, and I have to say I FREAKING LOVED IT. I really can't wait to read the sequel now, and I'm lucky enough only to have a few months to wait (I would have gone crazy if I had read it when it first came out and had to wait forever for it...

Review: Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden #3

Release Date: February 12^th, 2013

Number of Pages: 384

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Source: ARC form Publisher

GR - Amazon - BD - Chapters

Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.  

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. 

While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them. Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.  

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

Sever really was a breathtaking ending to an amazing series, which gives us closure to the story we have been following for years. Fans of the series will be delighted with this book. Tragedy was a constant aspect of this series, and this final book is no exception. Sever brought me to tears a few times.

Sever let us see the characters we have loved for so long grow, and we see them start to understand a little more about the world they are in. We get to see a different side of many characters. In Sever, we follow once again Rhine, the strong main character that had charmed me in both Wither and Fever. Yet, I do have to say that my favorite character in this novel had to be Linden. He was somehow still so innocent, despite everything he had gone through. We see him changed this vision of the world a little in this novel, which was a really interesting change.

Of course, when we think of Linden, we can’t forget about Cecily. Their relationship freaked me out a little at first, mostly because of the age difference, but we get to see a different side of them. There is something so sweet going on between those two, which was highly influenced by the way Cecily seemed to have grown. We also get to meet Vaughn’s brother, a character so different from his brother. I liked seeing this difference, and getting to know more about his family through him. I can’t forget about Vaughn, our favorite villain, He grew on me. We get to know more about him, understanding to a certain point the reasons behind his action.

Sever was an amazing final to a series I have loved from the beginning. I cannot wait to read more from Lauren DeStefano, as her writing is amazing and her world building is extremely real done. If you still haven’t read The Chemical Garden and you love dystopian, you really should give this series a shot. Loved it!

About The Author:

From NetGalley

Lauren DeStefano (pronounced: de STEFF ano) graduated Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT in 2007. Her debut novel, WITHER, the first in The Chemical Garden Trilogy, published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, is out now.

Her website

Her twitter

Review: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Release Date: January 22^nd, 2013

Number of Pages: 400

Publisher: Egmont USA

Source: ARC from MM Publicity

GR - Amazon - BD - Indigo

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.
 That’s why they make the perfect assassins. The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated. Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

Nobody was the kind of novel that left me changing my mind every few chapters about how I felt about it. I think that’s why I ended up thinking it was simply okay. It doesn’t mean it was bad, far from it. There were just too many things that stopped me from really getting lost into the story. Even if there were some really great moments (my favorite has to be with the bookshelf. It made me smile and it made me like Nix a little more than I had until that moment.) Still, these high moments really didn’t make up for the little things that got on my nerves.

One of the things I really didn’t get was Claire. I wanted to like her as a character, I wanted to feel something for her, but I ended up just disliking her for falling for the guy that just tried to kill her. I mean; I can get over the fact a main character suddenly falls for a total stranger if there are redeemable things about him later. I can deal with that. Still, a girl falling for a complete stranger who tried to kill her not long before? I have to say, that’s a turn off for me. And yes, I can get that nobody really saw her before, that no one paid any attention to her. Yet, I just can’t believe in the timing of their love. Nix, I could understand the way he was, I could believe the way he acted, but when it came to Claire, I couldn’t.

When I was talking about timing previously, I meant that things happen way too fast. They are trying to take down an organization that kills people, and they seem to be able to do it in a matter of days? I can’t even define how long the time period for the story was, since it was something like a couple of days, when my mind tells me it should have been way longer than that. That really annoyed me, and I think that’s why I didn’t like the novel as much as I thought I would. The premise sounded really interesting, and I think if it had taken them longer to fall for each other, and for them to succeed, it would have been a book I would have totally loved.

In the end, this book wasn’t a Hit for me, but it still wasn’t a Miss. I’ll definitely check out Jennifer Lynn Barnes other books in the future. Nobody didn’t completely work for me, but I think it will please many readers, especially if you don’t mind that kind of insta-love.

About the Author:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the author of the popular Raised by Wolves series. A former competitive cheerleader, teen model, and comic book geek, she wrote her first book at the age of nineteen. She just completed her PhD in developmental psychology at Yale University and has returned to her native Oklahoma to teach at the University of Oklahoma.

Her Website

Her Twitter

You can still enter to win both a Hardback of Nobody HERE

Waiting On Wednesday: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine. It is an opportunity for us to show books we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week, my pick is:

Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

April 23rd, 2013

Balzer + Bray

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.
And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

I've just finished Unraveling, and I have to say I really want to read more!  

Giveaway! Nobody and Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Thanks to Egmont USA and Media Master Publicity, I have two great books to giveaway to one lucky winner!

About the Books:

Nobody (January 22^nd, 2013) 

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.  That’s why they make the perfect assassins. 

 The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated. Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. 

 Nix is a killer.  Claire is his target. But from the moment he sets eyes on her, everything changes, because only the two of them can truly see each other – and two Nobodies are more than twice as dangerous as one.

Every Other Day (Paperback: January 22^nd 2013)

Every other day, Kali D’Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She’s human. And then every day in between . . . she’s something else entirely. Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism. When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, and unfortunately she’ll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive . . . and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

About Jennifer Lynn Barnes:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the author of the popular Raised by Wolves series. A former competitive cheerleader, teen model, and comic book geek, she wrote her first book at the age of nineteen. She just completed her PhD in developmental psychology at Yale University and has returned to her native Oklahoma to teach at the University of Oklahoma. You can visit her online at www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com or follow her on Twitter @jenlynnbarnes.

The Giveaway is US/Canada Only. To enter, fill the Rafflecopter form below!

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Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Legend #2

Release Date: January 29^th, 2013

Number of Pages: 384

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Source: ARC from BEA

Goodreads - Amazon - BD - Chapters

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector. It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
 But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong? In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action. 

Wow. I have to say; I think Prodigy was even better than Legend. There. I said it. The sequel was even more addicting than the first book, a book I devoured the moment I got it. I first read Prodigy when I got it at BEA. I just couldn’t wait to get lost in Marie Lu’s world once again. I re-read it months after, to refresh my mind and to savor this book once again. Even if I knew the second time around what was supposed to happen, it still took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. The novel kept me on the edge of my seat, and the ending left me heartbroken.

We learn more about Day and June in this sequel, but what I found really interesting was that they both seemed to learn about themselves. They need to learn to trust each other, but also to trust themselves. One of the things I loved about those two is that they challenge each other; they don’t simply accept what the other says blindly. They both are strong characters, and this makes their dynamic so much more interesting to follow. This also makes it that much more interesting to follow their points of view.

Their points of view are distinct, and the difference in their voices adds something really interesting in the story. It gives us a better understanding of what is happening, especially since those two characters come from completely different background. They don’t see things exactly the same ways.

I have to say, this series is probably one of my favorites right now. Marie Lu created an addicting story that simply keeps you hooked until the last page. There are simply no dull moments. If you have read and loved Legend, you will love Prodigy. If you still haven’t started this series, I really urge you to pick it up, especially if you like dystopian novel. This series is simply amazing.

About the Author:

 From Goodreads 

I write young adult novels, and have a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, I was born in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was an Art Director at a video game company. Now I shuffle around at home and talk to myself a lot. I graduated from the University of Southern California in '06 and currently live in LA, where I spend my time stuck on the freeways.she spends her time stuck on the freeways.

To find her:

Her Website

Her Twitter

The Trailer

2013 Update (1) : January

January is over. I can’t believe how fast it went by. I still write 2012 instead of 2013 half of the time. This year, I’ve decided to do monthly updates. This will also help me keep track of what I’ve done in the last month, the books I’ve read, the books I’ve reviewed, special posts, and my challenges…

I have to say that January wasn’t what I was expecting, and many things happened. This made it a little harder for me to read and review as much as I wanted. Hopefully, I’ll be able to catch up in February.

Books I’ve Read

Indigo Awakening by Jordan Dane (Reviewed Here)

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans (Reviewed Here)

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (Reviewed Here)

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (Reviewed Here)

Just One Day by Gayle Forman (Reviewed Here) 

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Part of the 2013 TBR Pile Challenge

Tempest by Julie Cross (Reviewed Here)

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (Reviewed Here)

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Now, there are many books I’m hoping to read this month. I don’t know yet how many I’ll have time to read, but here is a list of a few I’ll definitely try to get to this month.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison

Unraveling by Elizabeth Noris

Altered by Jennifer Rush

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Beautiful Chaos by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia

Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Here it is for January! Any books I should check out in February?