Nameless by Lili St. Crow

Goodreads Blurb

When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.
Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.
New York Times bestselling author Lili St. Crow thrilled legions of fans with her dark paranormal series Strange Angels. Now she has crafted an evocative update of Snow White, set in a vividly imagined world and populated by unforgettable new characters.

Nameless was so disappointing for me. It sounded absolutely fascinating and I imagined a stunning world filled with intrigue and danger. What I got was actually a pretty typical YA world with shoddy worldbuilding and not much originality. And that was actually one of the better parts.

The writing was super confusing and just horrible. It was all over the place and I was always confused as to what the HECK was going on. The sentences were awkward and choppy at best sometimes and I just wanted to take a red pen to the entire thing. The fact that it was written in third person made it even harder to connect to the story and the character. Then there are several elements mentioned, but we never really understand exactly what the Waste is, what Potential was and why it could be described, etc. We also never really learned much about the world.

Nameless was so slow too. I couldn't get into it at all and it was, as much as I hate to insult, pure willpower that made me finish the book. It didn't get interesting until at least 75% in and I also had only a vague understanding of what was going on.  The last 25% was rather enrapturing, but it didn't make up half of the negative stuff. It was also rather predictable.

Cami was a pretty emotionless character for me, but whiny and not that smart otherwise. She did the most stupid things sometimes and I wanted to whack her over the head. Our other characters weren't so good either, but her friends Ruby and Ellie definitely had more defined personalities than Cami. I also loved how Ruby was the Red Riding Hood in the story and Ellie was Cinderella. Well, I guess we know what the companion novels will be about (I think.)

The romance...was...I'm confused as to whether or not ___ had a romantic attraction because then it'd be incest, but I'm still unsure whether it was romantic or familial. Heh. 

Anyways, I'm on Team Nico (love triangle, yep. Annoying one too) because Tor was just so random. Cami just couldn't stop thinking about Tor, Tor showed up in the most random of places...it was all typical YA. Not to mention a betrayal. somewhere in the love triangle. A predictable one.

Also, what did the apples represent besides the fact that it was a Snow White retelling?

Pages: 304

Genre: Retelling/Fantasy

Series: A Tale of Beauty and Madness #1

Publisher: Razorbill 

Release Date: April 4, 2013

Rating: 1.5--->1

Waiting on Wednesday

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. 

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

I haven't read any of Gretchen McNeil's books yet (I mean, I have an ARC of Ten on my shelf...but...) but this one definitely sounds interesting! Trapped in a parallel world by your other self? Ummm...well. It has to be interesting! Plus I love the cover in it's simplicity!

Also, I love how it's 3:59 instead of midnight or dawn or twilight or something. There's something fascinating about the random time!!! (Yes, 3 "!"'s. It was needed) 

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Goodreads Blurb

I should not exist. But I do.
Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

What's Left of Me was...well, it was good, but it was disappointing in a lot of ways, actually.
I think What's Left of Me is one of those 2 way books where either you completely loved it or it was just disappointing. I definitely went down road number two.

What's Left of Me definitely got off to a great start, but it went downhill after the first 2 or 3 chapters, becoming a long, boring introduction. It did show the strength of the bond between Eva and Addie, but I'm more of an action or cry girl where there a) has to be a giant action scene or b) has to be deep enough that I cry. So the first half definitely didn't go into my type of read, though I'm betting there are a lot of people who will enjoy the depth of the relationships between all these characters, and the way you can easily understand Eva's feelings of frustration and longing.

I'm not quite sure what genres to put this in, not really. Technically, it's a dystopia, but we never learn how we got 2 souls in our body--so it could also be a fantasy/sci-fi kind of book as well since this seemed to take place in a different world, still somewhat similar to ours. But, still, we don't learn much about this world. Worldbuilding is obviously not one of the main points in this book, so we never really got a feel for how harmless this world could be compared to others, or how horrible it could be. There are a lot of holes in the fabric of this world and plot so I was disappointed there as well.

Speaking of the hospital, things definitely picked up there. Suddenly it was fast paced and thrilling, escape plans and all. And the TWISTS? I so wasn't expecting that! I mean, the fading of one soul? That...I can't believe how that happens. It was just shocking and I definitely had a hard time getting over that. The cruelness...

Oh hey, I'm rambling.

The concept of this book was truly fascinating and unique and while this was a bit slow, I think it was mainly because it was the first book. No doubt the sequel will be as action packed as the second half of this and as amazing as I'd expected What's Left of Me to be! I'd definitely recommend this for people who love reading about relationships and understand the wanting of something you can never have.

Pages: 343
Genre: Dystopia/Sci-fi/Fantasy
Series: What's Left of Me #1
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: Sep 18, 2012
Rating: 2.5--->3 stars

Things+ Book Haul + Weekly Recap

OKAY. This week has been absolutely exhausting. Here's what I've done

• Schedule a ton of posts
• Rearrange my schedule a dozen times
• Start preparing for Bloggy Awards 2013
• Talk blog tours
• Start my 25 question/page 25 page packet
• Find the perfect background for Merp Squad Blog Tours (You should totes sign up) 
• Design the button and banner for Bloggy Awards 2013
• REDESIGNEG MY BLOG (which, I know, isn't perfect. It's still in the works and if my blog is unavailable, it's because it's so hideous at this point that I want no one seeing it.)

So if you'll notice, there are a few changes around the blog. The background is definitely the most obvious one and I absolutely LOVE it. The banner has a new shape and a sort of border thing I really love. Eileen helped me put sparkles on the gadget/widget names and I have new contact buttons! I totally love it so far! 

Seriously, just compare them:

Bleck

ANYWHO. I didn't get anything this week, but I didn't do a book haul last week so here it is. Except I am way too exhausted to do the half an hour process of finding the books, taking a pic, etc. So NO PICS. SO SORRY. 

Bought

Linked by Imogen Howson

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

7 Year King by Kiki Hamilton

Blog Tour/Publisher

The Last Dance by Kiki Hamilton

The Weather Witch by Shannon Delany

Linked by Imogen Howson

Gifted

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

LOVED Linked, although the first part definitely wasn't it's best. Excited for Another Little Piece but with so many review books it's gone down my TBR! EEP! Sounds totally creepy though. I love the Faerie Ring series by Kiki Hamilton and can NOT wait to read the next installment!

Excited to read The Last Dance, although apparently few liked it. Hmm. Not going to read The Weather Witch because I can NOT fit the book anywhere in my reviewing schedule and it's gotten a ton of negative reviews which sucks since it sounded wonderful! And yes. Yes that is another copy of Linked. The day after my bought Linked came I got one from S&S. Sigh. Sending the bought one to a friend though! Hoping she loves it!

Awesome dude named Frodo on twitter bought these for me! LOVED Pushing the Limits and desperately wanted Dare You To. I had an ARC of PTL and I NEED matching formats, so after I went begging on twitter, he got me both! YAY!

Weekly Recap

YA Crush Tourney

The Beautiful and Cursed by Page Morgan

Waiting on Wednesday

Summer Solstice Sequels Tour

Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Goodreads Blurb

Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.
But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.
Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.

Spirit and Dust is just an amazing book! Possibly one of my favorite paranormal/fantasy I've read in a while! It had...everything. Great worldbuilding, an ingenious plot, twists I couldn't imagine, a great main character, and a swoony love interest.

What surprised me about Spirit and Dust was that was that instead of just using regular paranormal elements, like magic, witchcraft, werewolves, vampires, etc., the main element was Egyptian mythology! Which I think tied a little perfectly with what we learn about the "paranormal" world Daisy introduces us to. The worldbuilding for this was spectacular, why shades were called "remnants" instead of "ghosts, the rules of the afterworld, all that! The only thing I had a complaint about was that we were told that the soul was cut into 3 parts, when I learned that it was 7. So that was a bit weird for me! 

Daisy was such a snarky character! I adored her! She was such a...well, teenager and it was relatively easy to connect with her, despite her freaky powers! She was hilarious and I adored reading from her POV! Not to mention, the Remnants also brought a bunch of humor to the story, as well as her little banters with Carson, our swoony love interest! He had a few secrets of his own, which, by the way, I did not expect at all. He was arrogant and sweet and everything in between! Made better with the fact that it was a pretty slow romance and wasn't all "we're completely destined to be together", thank goodness!

Crazy things that I never expected had already happened before the half mark of the book and I had no clue what could happen next! I read this in one sitting, in the middle of the night, and every time my eyelids would droop, some giant twist happened and I would be completely unable to put it down! It had me wide eyed and literally flipping through the pages! I was absolutely dying (pun intended) to find out what happened next! 

Pages: 304

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 14, 2013

Rating: 4.5--->5 stars

Summer Solstice Sequels Tour and Giveaway!

SUMMER SOLSTICE SEQUELS TOUR – 4 books, 4 authors, 4 days of prizes! 

It’s the final stop on the Summer Solstice Sequels tour (*sniff*), where authors Lili Peloquin (THE INNOCENTS), Jessica Spotswood (BORN WICKED), Elizabeth Richards (BLACK CITY), and Fiona Paul (VENOM) have joined forces to celebrate the launch of their summer sequels! 

Today we’re spotlighting Lili’s upcoming novel, THIS SIDE OF JEALOUSY (The Innocents, book #2), due out on August 20!

About the Book

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indie Bound | Goodreads

Publisher: Razorbill

Release date: August 20, 2013

Alice and Charlie haven’t stopped fighting since they arrived in Serenity Point two weeks ago. Those two weeks changed their lives. And Serenity Point has changed them.

While the sisters grapple with the terrible truth about their family, the one-year memorial of Camilla’s death looms. The tension mounts and sparks fly as bright as July Fourth fireworks. Alice and Charlie are desperate to find out the truth that everyone seems to be hiding.

Is Camilla their enemy and rival—even six feet under? Or is she their sister, whose memory they have to protect? And what really happened to her that night on the bridge? In a town built on secrets and lies, can the truth stay buried for long? 

Bio

Lili Peloquin is the author of The Innocents. She grew up in New England, where the first breeze of summer still reminds her of a whispered secret.

Find her at: Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway 4: Quotables!

Each day the authors have come up with a fun quiz for you to play. Today’s game is Quotables!

Rules

Each author has selected a quote from their summer solstice sequels. All you have to do is match the quote with the correct book, and then enter your answers in the form below. Simple, huh?  (HINT: Check out each author’s book highlight for a clue. Links are under the ‘Follow the tour’ section)

The contest will close at 12pm EST, June 28. Any entries after this date will not be counted. Winners will be notified by email. US only. Entrants must be over 13 years old. Entrants under that age must have a parent or guardian enter on their behalf.

Prizes

2 x ARCs of THIS SIDE OF JEALOUSY

Let’s play!

Quote 1:

Cass couldn't help herself. For a second, the two of them were back on San Domenico, kissing on a bench in her aunt's garden. For a second, desire budded and bloomed inside of her, as scarlet and fragrant as Agnese's roses. For a second, nothing had changed.

 Only everything had changed. 

Quote 2:

Alice could smell the blood even from more than a hundred yards away.  It hung on the air, sweet and sticky and faintly rotten.  And she could hear, above the din of the crowd, the roar of the ocean, the sharp crack of a fist on a face, bone colliding with bone, the dull thump of a knee in a midsection or groin, of a body crumpling in on itself.  In the distance, a police siren wailed, soft but growing louder.  Sickening sounds.

Quote 3:

That night, Elijah finds a bottle of spiced Shine hidden away in one of the cupboards. The boys drink—I haven’t the stomach for it—while we listen to music on the crackling radio, the stars glittering above us. Elijah shows us a traditional Bastet dance, which makes us giggle.

                “All right, your turn,” he says, disgruntled.

                Ash gets up and does a funny jig, which he claims is a Darkling folk dance, but I know he’s just making it up. I burst out laughing, as does Elijah.

                “You mocking my moves, blondie?” Ash teases.

                I nod.

Quote 4:

“I’m so glad to see you! What are you doing in New London?” I demand.

“We might ask you the same question, Sister,” Rory says.

Sachi’s dark eyes rest on my face. “What possessed you to join the Sisterhood, Cate?”

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m very happy here in New London,” I evade, glancing over my shoulder.                            

“Liar.” Rory isn’t one to mince words. “You’ve been crying, plain as day.”

“You don’t have to tell us now,” Sachi says, eyeing me sideways. “Father’s here for the duration of the council meeting. Finn, too. I take it you’ve seen him? Did he speak to you?”

I shake my head, unable to speak past the lump that’s reappeared in my throat.

“Oh, Cate, you look a mess.” She tosses me her bright pink lace handkerchief.

“Has he”—I wipe my eyes, battle my pride, and lose—“has he said anything about me?”

Entry form

Summer Solstice Sequels entry form

Twitter Party! 

Don’t forget to join us tonight, Thursday June 20, for the Summer Solstice Sequels Twitter party at 6.30pm EST (follow along using #SSSequels). Penguin Teen will be giving away loads of ARCs, so you won’t want to miss out!

FOLLOW THE TOUR

17 June

Good Choice Reading

 Spotlighting PHOENIX by Elizabeth Richards

18 June

Book Chic

Spotlighting STAR CURSED by Jessica Spotswood

19 June

Jean Book Nerd

Spotlighting BELLADONNA by Fiona Paul

20 June

Fiction Freak

Spotlighting THIS SIDE OF JEALOUSY by Lili Peloquin