Book Haul!

Four things people:

1. I will no longer be using Showcase Sunday. It'll just be my "Book Haul" from now on!
2. I'll be forgoing Waiting on Wednesday because I have some posts I want you guys to see! (Like a Kaidan and Anna interview...)
3. I'll be including a weekly wrap-up post from now on.
4. ZOMG! I've gotten some awesome books this week! I'm so excited to start them!

For Review
         

Publisher

      

Netgalley

YES! I got The Dark Light! You guys have no idea how much I've been pining for htis title! AND, not only did I get it, I got a finished copy! It's so pretty you guys. I can't wait until it's in stores! I'm going on a scavenger hunt soon and I'm definitely taking a picture of it. On the shelf. At Barnes and Nobles. MUAHAHA. And I finally got Dark Companion! I seriously can not wait to read that one either! And Monstrous Beauty! I was not expecting that one! But it's been on my wishlist for so long, and I can now take it off! Woot! AND ZOMG. I got Whispers at Moonrise! You guys have no idea how much I've pinied for this one!

Eep! Read this already!


This Week...
Review of Second Chance Summer
Glitch Blog Tour: Character Post
Review of Glitch
Review of Cursed

And don't forget the giveaways!
Fall Into Summer
500 Followers

Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout

Goodreads Blurb

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

I’m a giant fan of Jennifer Armentrout so when I got this in the mail, I was ecstatic! Sadly, I was disappointed, although I’m pretty sure I’m the only to feel that way. Cursed wasn’t as stunning as Jennifer’s other series, but it was pretty good anyways.

Character wise, I didn’t  like Ember. Even when proof was thrown in front of her face, she insisted that it was all a) a dream or b) a hallucination/lie. She had this atmosphere of distrust and despair that irked me a lot. Also, I feel like she had a multiple personality disorder. Yeah. Psycho, then emotional, then normal. Rinse and repeat As the book progressed, so did her attitude and thank GOD for that. She would slowly learn to accept that “gifts” were real and she would try to control her powers. Does she succeed? I don’t know…you’ll just have to find out yourself!

Hayden, our love interest…he, well, seemed typical and one of those cliché boyfriends. I’m sorry you Hayden fans! But he was a guy with an extremely powerful gift, frightneningly handsome and charming, and interested (*cough* stalking *cough*) Ember? WHAT!? It just struck a nerve reminding me of this love interest (who shall not be named) who I hated. Completely, utterly hated. Hayden just wasn’t swoon-worthy to me and well, I kind of wanted to strangle him. Although I’m sure Ember would kill me.

Speaking of, the romance. I’m kind of deciding whether it was good or bad. The romance wasn’t insta-love…actually, I’m deciding on that too. Hayden seemed to go insta-lovey from what we read and although Ember didn’t, I found it disturbing that she wasn’t more wary of some guy who had unnatural powers who was basically stalking her. And even when she was a bit wary, it lasted aabout half a day and she forgave him because he was charming and handsome. Uh huh. Yeah. Smart, Ember.

On the other hand, if you ignore all of that, the romance was sweet and…pretty non insta-love?

The plot, I’ll have to admit, did remind me a bit of Shatter Me, but Jennifer Armentrout creates her own plot off the “death touch” route, adding in other prett well-known gifts in. There were a lot of things that were pretty obvious, a few that weren’t, but all in all it was a pretty good tie off.  A few horrid things definitely go ont hat actually fit the book pretty well so in plot-wise it was pretty good!

And while I was going to rate this a 2 star book, the way Jennifer Armentrout tells the story brought it up to 3. Armentrout nows how to deftly weave a story and make the words into an enchanting piece that will probably captivate you from start to finish. There’s just something about her writing style that makes you bring your rating a star up! (Honestly, I think I’m pretty much the only person on Earth who pretty much disliked Cursed.)

Pages: 312

Series: Currently a stand-alone!
Genre: Supernatural/Romance

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: September 18

Rating: 3 stars

 

"Slowly, I eld my breath, reached and brushed the tips of my fingers over the velvety leaves. The weed shuddered once under my fingers. The soft leaves turned rough and crispy. I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip. When I did open my eyes, the weed lay limp against the bark. Dead."

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Goodreads Blurb

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

Starting with the bad and ending in the good, Glitch had horrible, horrible, romance qualities. It seemed insta-love-ish because of the fact that after only what? A few hours she met Adrien, they were already making out. Good lord, spare me. She seemed to feel a “connection” despite the fact that she had barely known him. Honestly, I wanted to strangle some sense into her. And then, afterwards when her memory’s gone (totally not a spoiler. You’ll see when you read it) she’s suddenly the apple of another guy’s eye who loves her. *cough* AWKWARD. And she goes along with it, never mind the fact that it feels…wrong. So, you guessed it. LOVE TRIANGLE.

But while the romance really irked me, I actually liked Glitch! It, honestly, would’ve been so much better without the romance, but the world-building, the characters, the plot—they were all things I enjoyed reading about. The world-building was amazing and the way that each hard drive was wired in and how the Link controlled the people were amazing. The descriptions didn’t confuse me (much. Trust me, I’m totally lost on all this tech stuff). And I loved that the Link would hold of your emotions and that it made all color gray. I’m not sure if that symbolized anything…? But still. Love the world.

The characters! I can say I related to Zoe a lot. I mean, can you imagine not being able to feel anything? Not being able to see color? I could definitely relate to craving all that, despite being told all my life that it was wrong and abominable. Adrien was as great a character as Zoe and I think they were perfect together! Smiles…definitely. Characters were one of my favorite things about Glitch!

Plot? The plot was so…twisty. I mean, you had absolutely no idea who to trust. The good guys were bad, the bad guys were good. It was just AGH. But it made Glitch so much better! It’s like, you knew someone would stab Zoe in the back, but with all these people involved, you had no idea who! And the plot twists. Oh My God, the plot twists! I had to (well, in my literary mind) run to catch up with them! I was like, plo twist after plot twist which , usually, would be annoying. And yet, for some reason, I enjoyed it in Glitch!

Pages: 371

Series: Glitch #1

Genre: Dystopian/Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: August 7

Rating: 3.5---> 4

"Adrien wasn't trying o help me at all. He was trying to kill me."

Blog Tour: Glitch by Heather Anistasiu

Hey guys! As part of the Glitch Blog Tour, Zoe, our protagonist from Glitch by Heather Anistasiu, will be sharing with use her Top 5 tips to well...

Zoel Q-24’s Top Five Tips to Avoid Deactivation

  

Getting caught glitching in my society could be grounds for immediately deactivation (i.e. death), so a girl’s gotta have a fair share of tricks up her sleeve. Without further ado, here’s my Top Five Tips to Avoid Deactivation.

1. Become an expert at lying.
2. When glitching, make sure to look like you’re still Linked. Stare straight ahead, don’t walk too fast, keep all facial features absolutely still and never, ever, let the Regulators see that you’re scared of them.
3. Trick number three: avoidance. If you see any officials in black uniforms, turn around and walk the other direction (but not in a way that looks like you are trying to get away them).
4. If you lose control of your powers in public, come up with a plausible explanation that does not involve admission of guilt.
5. If your number comes up for a regular diagnostic of your implanted hardware (which would inevitably reveal your glitches), you have two options: try to hack into Central Systems to falsify your records, or option two, run like hell, get on the subway and try to get lost in the underground city.

Glitch Blurb

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

Short Author Bio

Heather Anastasiu is the author of the young adult sci-fi novel,GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Spring 2012). She recently moved to Minneapolis with her family, and when she’s not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café.

Contact

Heather Anistasiu's Website

Heather Anistasiu's blog

Heather Anistasiu's Goodreads

Heather Anistasiu's Twitter

Heather Anistasiu's Facebook

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Goodreads Blurb

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

You know, just as a warning: When you reach the last half, I advise you to grab a tissue or two (or three, or four, or—you know what? Just take the entire box.) Seriously. You’re going to need it. If there’s one word to describe Second Chance Summer, it’s heartbreaking.

Can I say heartbreaking again? Yes? Ok, it was completely, utterly heartbreaking. All these things were happening and you keep thinking “he’ll be okay. He won’t die. HEA right?” but I’m spoiling this now: it’s not a Happy Ever After ending no matter how much you want it to. It was just inevitable but somehow you ignore the oncoming tragedy with the romance, the friendship, and all things inbetween. But when it does happen, it strikes you completely unaware, even when you know it’s happening in the next chapter. It’s this dreaded feeling that builds up in you and when it happens…agh! A book filled with second chances, I loveloveloved it!

Second Chance Summer seemed more like an insanely descriptive diary rather than a book, and that’s a good thing. Actions seemed so real, not far-fetched. Reactions were probable and the characters reminded me of what my friends would’ve done if I had slighted them like that. Characters seemed real. I haven’t read Matson’s debut, but you can bet I will after reading Second Chance Summer!

As sad as it is, Second Chance Summer is definitely a great Summer-ends read. Not one you want to read at the beginning of summer, but definitely one that will end your summer with a bang. Seriously guys. Y’all have to read this!

Pages: 468

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

"Standing across from me, five years older, all grown up, and much cuer han I remembered him being, was Henry Cosby."

Showcase Sunday

Oooh not many books, but the few I got were awesome! And yes, I did read them. All of them. Wha can I say? I'm awesome like that lol.

And don't forget! The nominations for the Bloggy Awards are starting tomorrow, so be sure to enter! For more info, check out the Official Website (Blog) here!

Props to Books, Biscuits, and Tea for coming up with the meme!

 

 

For Review

         

 

Given

         

 

 

ZOMG. Second Chance Summer and The Fault in Our Stars made my cry. So. Much. I can't even...I need more tissues...Glitch was...well, wait for my review. ;D On another note, I also have a blog tour coming up, so wait for that. My review should be posted the day after or before!