Waiting on Wednesday

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

OMG. SO REMEMBER MY REVIEW OF FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS IN WHICH I SAID THAT THERE HAD BETTER BE A SEQUEL? Well, SQUEE. I can't believe it! A companion novel! It's not a SEQUEL, but it's good enough! Hopefully Elliot and company sail by one of the islands and we see their lovey-doveyness! Oh I love them...anyways, this sounds EPIC! I mean, it's like...wait. I don't remember the book. NO...EH. IT SOUNDS AMAZING and I can't wait to get my grubby little book hoarder hands on it!

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Goodreads Blurb

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

Oh my gosh. There are no words for how much I absolutely adore Keeper of the Lost Cities. It was an amazing debut and one of my favorite books by far--impressive, considering I rarely read Middle Grade in the first place! And honestly, if you crossed out Sophie's age, I could almost peg this as YA (except, of course, the cussing and stuff. So, umm, no worries there. I'm rambling. ON WITH THE REVIEW)

My friends can confirm that I was squealing so much while reading! There were plenty of hilarious parts (which I just had to read over and over and over, by the way) and I was beside myself with joy! From the blurb, Keeper of the Lost Cities, admittedly, sounded a bit typical, but OH, it was far from it! Talk about originality! I loved the world that Messenger created! It was well thought out, vivid, and detailed to the core! Not to mention the fascinating animals! (Seriously, guys. Can I have an imp?) I would've killed to see some artwork for this book! I especially loved Sophie's time at Foxfire because, while it did sometimes seem typical high school (or, umm, middle school? Migh School?), the classes and happenings were beyond fun. I loved discovering everything about Foxfire (Glowing fungus!) Academy and loved the classes and how Sophie handled them! 

I loved the plot! Somehow I managed to blow through all 500 pages of this in a day and still have free time on my hands. I really don't know how. What I do know is that the plot was definitely one of my favorite parts! While it's not action packed, we get to see Sophie adjust to the school, her new life, and deal with being the odd one out. Which, trust me guys, was even better than action-packed. It was just so fun seeing the world through her eyes! And we still had our action scenes that almost gave me a heart attack! Also, conspiracies, rebellions, social standings, and more. What more could a girl want in her plot?

Characters? Oh they were absolutely wonderful. They were well developed and they each had their own personalities! And I could definitely connect with Sophie. (Okay, so that may have something to do with us being near-same age.) I actually cried at a certain part in the book that was heartbreaking for Sophie and I pretty much squealed whenever she did. Whatever she did, I pretty much had the same reaction! And I just loved that as a reader! She was a strong character and I loved her for the sacrifices she was willing to make so that others weren't hurt. She was such a determined character who would really do anything she thought was right and would help people.

Our secondary and supporting characters were amazing as well! Grady, Edaline, Aldine, Dex, Keefe, Fitz, Biana, all of them! (Oh, and I fun learning their names too!) They were fun characters who supported Sophie and I loved all their personalities to the core. Especially Keefe, who's our resident bad boy! Fitz was a bit oblivious though, but it was endearing!

Relationships were a big part of the book, and the biggest one was definitely my favorite. Sophie and Grady and Edaline. I loved their familial bond and I loved how they were all there for each other. They had a sweet family relationship going and I loved them so much for caring about Sophie like their own daughter. 

Oh. And then, the crushes. I'm not really sure if Keefe had any crush on Sophie or anything, but I had to laugh at how oblivious Sophie was to a certain friend's crush and how Fitz was oblivious to her crush. I sort of wanted to push it, until I remembered this was an MG I was reading. Sorry! 

Keeper of the Lost Cities, I can safely say, was one of my favorite reads of the year! I can't wait for book 2 so I can fall even more in love with the characters and the world. Honestly? I have to recommend it for any fans of Harry Potter. So, umm, basically? All of you reading this right now should go grab a copy. Seriously.

Pages: 496

Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade

Series: Keeper of the Lost Cities #1

Publisher: Aladdin

Release Date: Oct 2, 2012

Rating: 10/5 stars

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Goodreads Blurb

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

OKAY, so even if this is a YA (once in a while NA) review blog, how could I pass up Richelle Mead? So I decided to finally start my first adult read. And it was...a bit disappointing. I guess I finally realized jsut how big the difference between YA and Adult is!

Gameboard of the Gods was so slow for me. I was bored so many times and the twists were completely predictable. While there were plenty of developments and action scenes, my attention slowly withered away and, I admit, I may have started skimming a bit without realizing. (NO I DID NOT SKIM THE WHOLE BOOK. Maybe 25 pages.). From the first mention of ravens, I already guessed the big "surprise" at the end and that was sort of ridiculous, considering it was so obvious. Same goes for the mystery goddess too. They were (SEMI SPOILER) pretty much the most written about gods, excluding Greek. (SPOILER END)

Richelle Mead is always great with characterization and this time was no exception. They were all flawed characters who were still likeable, to a point, though it did take some time to get to know them. Though I do have to admit, Mae is a lot better than Justin  in my eyes. I think that's mainly since she was so kickbutt!

I liked the dystopian world in this story and it was captivating from the first description. Everything fit together and every question I had about the world was eventually explained. It was a creative concept that I enjoyed reading about and one that's definitely pure Richelle. It was such a complex world!

I didn't really enjoy the alternating POVs, though. It was random and often confused me. and I mean often. I'm not really a fan of alternate POVs, though, so that may make me a bit biased! Each section did advance the plot though and I did enjoy, at times, seeing the story from a different character's view.

Fans of Richelle Mead's work are sure to like this one (if they generally read adult, that is!). It brings a new idea to the table and a story that's pure genius. People who usually avoid dystopian should definitely try this one since I'm pretty sure it'll coax a great reaction out of readers! 

Pages: 464

Genre: Dystopian/Mythology

Series: Age of X #1

Publisher: Dutton Adult

Release Date: June 4, 2013

Rating: 3.5--->3 stars

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

Wow, so this week there weren't many reviews lol! LOTS of fun stuff this week! BTW. GUYS. CHANGE ALL YOUR AVATARS AND ICONS TO THE COVER OF THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT!

ALSO. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A.G. HOWARDS, AUTHOR OF SPLINTERED (MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2012)
And yesterday was my BFF's bday!!!

Oh, by the way. That book I was squealing about last week?

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. SPLINTERED FLIP ARC OMG LIKE OMG. It's too pretty.

Anyways

NOT SHOWN: OF TRITON BY ANNA BANKS

Gifted
Icons by Margaret Stohl
In the After by Demetria Lunetta

Traded
Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Bought
Goddess by Josephine Angelini
Imposter by Susanne Winnacker
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Of Triton by Anna Banks

Publisher
Charm and Strange by Stephanie Koehn
Tidal by Amanda Hocking

Ah SO EXCITED FOR ICONS AND IN THE AFTER. Krystal from Live to Read is TOO NICE and is officially my Ice Cream Twin! I didn't know if I should buy Icons, so she sent me one of her duplicates to see if I liked it!
Oh wow. I traded for this ARC of Unbreakable, then won a signed hardback a week later. THIS IS MY LIFE GUYS. But is okay. I'll just send it to some friend!
LOVED IMPOSTER OH SO MUCH. REVIEW TO COME! Of Triton was a fast read (read it under an hour and a half once I got it!) And TOO EXCITED FOR GODDESS AND SIEGE AND STORM!
I didn't request either of these and I probably won't read Tidal since I hate the series. However, Charm and Strange looks FASCINATING, so I'll definitely pick that up...sometime

Weekly Recap
PODs by Michelle K.Pickett
Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
Waiting on Wednesday
Blog Tour: Interview
YA CRUSH TOURNEY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EILEEN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EILEEN

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS. IT'S EILEEN'S BIRTHDAY. My present is so so so small compared to what she's done for me like the TWITTER PARTY. THAT THING. WHICH I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID. Oh my GOD. I'm stealing that idea next year. Seriously. *sniffs*

By the way, HELLO EILEEN. I AM LAST. HAI. Hope you enjoyed your scavenger hunt-thing a mabobber! :D

It's now my turn to use this GIF.

And you know what? I also promised you this.

Unicorn poop cookies on crumbled Oreos! BAHAHAHAH.

You know I love you.

AND OHMYGOSH EILEEN! YOU'RE FREAKING 14! THIS IS BIG. I EVEN MADE A PIE CHART OF MY PRIORITIES

And, if you're not certain why I love you:

• You're always there. Literally. ALWAYS.
• You like reading
• You're the funnest, randomest, best person EVER
• You're a Taylor Swift fan
• You totally get my craziness
• We are going to meet up at the same asylum
• We can rant about literally ANYTHING
• You're an Iron Fey fan
• You're always so passionate about things
• You're awesome EVEN IF YOU DONT THINK SO
• You're my actual first best friend.
• You're so incredibly nice and selfless and I'm a totally bad influence and you're okay with that
• We can totally get sappy or serious then go back to fun and random and completely crazy.
• Our gchats are probably monitored by the FBI for suspicious activity
• You get off topic like this list is right now
• You're like my CONSIENCE
• You probably didn't notice I spelled conscience wrong
• You probably just checked
• You're probably making a face that says "I totally did" or you're laughing
• I never said I was good at this
• I'm so off topic

AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOUR SONG CHOICE. THE BEST DAY BY TAYLOR SWIFT IS LEGIT THE PERFECT SONG.

You, my friend, are epic.

REMEMBER MY AWKWARD GOODREADS MESSAGE TO YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE 12 AND I WAS 12 AND AND AND.

Then you turned 13 *stink eye*

And then yous tarted replying to all my tweets. And sort of creeped me out. JUST A LITTLE. AND THEN I REALIZED HOW AWESOME YOU WERE.

I wish I could've bought you this, but I didn't know where

So, instead, you're getting your box of stuff. Which I'll personally deliver to you. In August. :( BUT I GET TO TACKLE YOU

Also, you suck, because I'm so uncreative and can't one up your birthday present. YOU MEANIE.

.

..

...

....

.....

......

.......

........

I LIED. YOU DON'T SUCK. *clings*

See, I even put 8 "." on the last line

LOVE YOU

VOTE TEAM PERRY

MM'KAY GUYS. HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.

If you didn't know, the YA Crush Tourney is going on. And...guess who's the advocate for one of the sexiest and swooniest YA guys around? MOI.

And I am representing...

By the way? The awesome button was made by Eileen. 

Yep! Our favorite Outsider! Here's what I want you to do. 

First, if you haven't read the books YOU BETTER GET THE DAMN BOOKS AND BLAST THROUGH THEM. I promise they're worth the read. And sort of heartbreaking. 

Second, if you want to be on the Street Team? YAY! I think I'll just be accepting everyone and anyone. Which leads me to...

Third, here's what I want y'all to do

1) Change your Twitter, Facebook, Google+, whatever, avatar into the cover of Through the Ever Night OR the button up top.

2) TWEET #TEAMPERRY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN and rally your followers! 

3) If you have a blog, I dare you all to write why you love Perry and all your favorite Perry quotes on the 16th. Be sure to link to the YA Sisterhood and my blog! He battles on the 17th, so be sure to mention that too!

4) Put the button (HTML can be found on my sidebar at the very top, shining it's swoon at you) all over the interwebz! Y'all can do this--I've seen what you guys can do! Post it on Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever. But don't forget to use the hashtag #TeamPerry!

ALSO

Veronica Rossi herself has been awesome enough to provide PRIZES! (Trust me, y'all are going to love it!) But details on the 17th when my post goes up! 

So....

GO!