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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (12)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring books added to our shelves and sharing our excitement for them.





Bought:







Exchanged:


I got a bunch of great books this week! I'm super excited to read them all! Which should I start reading first? 
What's new on your shelve this week? Let me know in the comments below! :)

Sunday, July 14, 2013

COVER REVEAL+BLURB: 5 Miles by Nadege Richards

5 Miles (Breathe Novels #1) 
by 
Release Date: Sept. 16th 2013

“This is a story about survival. Letting go and learning to let in. Getting along and moving on. There’s no make-pretend or fairytales. This is a story about the truth of life. The things left unsaid…”

--

It’s been four years since that night at the river. That night on the alabaster hill where Trinity Ayala swore on her soul that she’d fallen in love with a heart-breaker, willingly.

2 months, 7 weeks, and 1,460 long days. They were carefree—limitless and infamous, he’d told her.

But after the accident that nearly cost her everything and her father called it quits and ditched, Trinity vowed to make something of herself and someday leave town with hopes of becoming a writer.

Four years is a lot of time. Enough time to forget Elijah Marciano and move on from her life on the streets. But when she runs into the hazel-eyed dare devil from her childhood at a fraternity party, one drunken night of passion lands her back in his clutches. And he’ll do anything to keep her there, even if it means turning her away from her fiancé and the mirage of a life she’s built to forget her past. Trinity soon finds herself shrouded in a world of heartbreak, betrayal, and one ugly affair with no way out.

Only, Eli—once the troubled kid from apartment 309—has a few secrets of his own. Secrets he’s kept hidden for months, and Trinity is no better. When they discover just how deep the lies run, vows are broken and, in the end, hidden truths are bared to the open.

Their love will be INFAMOUS

 Excerpt:

Eli liked things he could control, I knew, and where feelings are involved, his control wasn't.

So instead he hid from the things that'd make him regret or forget. The things that would give him any reason to doubt or give up. And who the hell was I to tell him he was wrong?

I was nobody.

The things that could be controlled, though, was this moment.And Elijah kissed me like it was a natural-born instinct. We had our story and they had theirs. No, ours wasn't exactly beautiful or magical, or any of those things they made us believe in. Most often than not, we cried and were reckless with every decision Those feelings we held onto in that moment we ever-changing; we did the impossible and never doubted for a second that we'd do it again. because in our story, there were no rules to hold us back or people to judge or misuse us. We were limitless.


About the author:

Born in New York City and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadege has traveled to five other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the world some day. Her name is of French origin, though she's never been to France. Forever a lover of art and all things pertaining to Literature, she hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity or fame. She wrote her first story about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her biggest inspiration, and the occasional cup of coffee. She enjoys being part of the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.

Her debut novel, Burning Bridges, is her first completed novel. It isn't her first attempt in the writing world, but it's a tale about two lovers she hopes will change the way people view one another, in both big and small ways.



What do you think of the cover? Are you excited for this book?

Let me know in the comments below! :)

Stacking the Shelves (11)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring books added to our shelves and sharing our excitement for them.



Won:

*HUGE thanks to Giselle from Xpresso Reads an Penguin* 

Exchanged:


*Thanks to Mimi Zane, Terri Matlock, &  littlehanachan*

Bought:




That's what i got this week! What do you guys think? I am EXTREMELY happy!

What's new on your shelves this week? Let me know in the comments below! :)


Thursday, July 11, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (11) *Posted on a Thursday*

 "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted @ Bending the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Oops, I'm posting this on a Thursday  Anyway, I haven't been posting for quite some time, but I hope to start posting 2 reviews per week now.
Plus, I got a new blog design, made by Lisseth at Read-A-holicZ.
Isn't it beautiful!
 My Pick this Week:


The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies #4) by Pitticus Lore
Publication: August 27th 2013 by HarperTeen


The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.

Lorien will rise again.
 

Guys, I have been waiting for this book since last August! The first 3 books are awesome, and this series is one of the few sci-fi books I actually read.
But man, am I excited! The last book left me with so many questions! 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? :)

BOOK REVIEW: Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore


Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) 
by Kristin Cashore
Published:October 1st 2008 
by Harcourt
His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn't shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn't seem human....

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.


In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
Rate: 4 out of 5 stars

My thoughts: 


     How do I begin....this book was pure awesomeness! I grabbed this book at random at the book store. I had no idea what it was about, but, man, am I happy I picked it up! 
     Let me point something out, though. Going into this book, I felt as if it was a little flat. Interesting, but flat. At first, there didn't seem to be any plot and character development. And the characters were kinda.......unoriginal. As if I'd already read about them a hundred times before. This went on for all of part 1 in the book. (For those of you who don't know, there are 3 parts in the book) But going into part 2, I was struck in the face with a fantastic literary whirlwind. 
     The characters start out as skeletons with bare details and simple traits. Then, before your eyes, they begin to grow! They change before your eyes into real people. Katsa didn't really have a great personality in the beginning, because she basically just followed he uncle's rules. She did everything he told her to do, just like a little puppy dog. He trained her to not question anything, and to harm people without emotion, and she did exactly that. 
     But when Po comes in, she starts having a change of mind. She starts questioning herself. Why is she doing this? Why can't she stop? Why does she have to do what her uncle tells her to do? And just like that, Katsa becomes her own person. She goes on a task, and instead of hurting a man, she lets him live, and disobeys her uncles orders. 
     I LOVED Po. Although, his name often reminded me of Po from Kung Fu Panda, he was just so swoon worthy! (Katsa's name also confused me alot. Whenever I started reading, I would mindlessly say "Katniss" instead of "Katsa") Po's ability to read people's minds was a great advantage. When Katsa agreed to leave with him, he was able to tell if people were coming, or if animals were near.
     He would come handy in a zombie apocalypse....just a thought.
The story line was great. After part one, Katsa and Po are on there way to a different kingdom, and the action quickly picks up, when they figure out who the villain in the story is.
     You also meet Bittlerblue. Bitterblue is Po's young cousin who you meet, when Katsa and Po rescue her. I'm not gonna say why they rescued her, because I'm trying to keep spoiler at minimum. But I loved Bitterblue. Her character brought innocence into the story. She was just a little 10 year old girl who needed rescuing  yet she became such an important character later on in the story.
     This book was amazing. I loved it, and do not regret reading! I deducted a star because of the slow start, but the rest of the book, is great! The book is part of a trilogy, so I am super excited to read the next book! 

Quotes:

“I'm not going to wear a red dress," she said.
"It would look stunning, My Lady," she called.
She spoke to the bubbles gathered on the surface of the water. "If there's anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I'll hit him in the face.” 
― Kristin CashoreGraceling



“What are you grinning at?" Katsa demanded for the third or fourth time. "Is the ceiling about to cave in on my head or something? You look like we're both on the verge of an enormous joke."
"Katsa, only you would consider the collapse of the ceiling a good joke.” 
― Kristin CashoreGraceling



“Skye kissed her forehead. "You saved my life."
Katsa smiled. "You Lienid are very outward in your affection."
"I'm going to name my firstborn child after you."
Katsa laughed at that. "For the child's sake, wait for a girl. Or even better, wait until all your children are older and give my name to whichever is the most troublesome and obstinate.
Skye burst into laughter and hugged her, and Katsa returned his embrace. And realized that quite without her intending it, her guarded heart had made another friend.” 

― Kristin CashoreGraceling


“I'll teach you how to defend yourself, how to maim a man. We can use Po as a model.''Wonderful,' Po said. 'It's quite boring really, the way you beat me to death with your hands and feet, Katsa. It'll be refreshing to have you come at me with a knife.” 
 Kristin CashoreGraceling


“I wanted you to go away, because it hurts to be with you when I can't see you." - Po” 
― Kristin CashoreGraceling