Waiting on Wednesday

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

You can’t change your DNA…even when it says you’re a murderer.

When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka “the kill gene,” she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her—although she’s never hurt a fly. Davy doesn’t feel any differently, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the “H” tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

There is no freaking way I'm not getting this ASAP. I mean, you guys.  A freaking murder gene, Sophie Jordan, and I already love the romance. UGH. And I LOVE the cover and her hair! That's like perfect and totally awesome and I can not wait for this and OMG HYPERVENTILATING UNTIL IT'S RELEASE GIMME NOW.

Blog Tour: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Hey y'all! SUPER excited to be on this tour! Anita always comes up with the most fun tours, so I definitely recommend checking out the other posts! (You can find the schedule at the end of this post)

That is all

---

Thanks for dropping by tour stop #2! 

Today, Alyssa is tweeting with Wonderland’s enigmatic wisdom keeper, Morpheus, about the meaning of Thanksgiving in the human realm.

Splintered Fan Art by Rivka http://rivkast.com/gallery/

A moment ago, she explained how humans celebrate the holiday. Now let’s drop in on their tweet-versation, already in progress…

If you ask me, they'd better keep their eyes on Red. I don't think she's bluffing.

That's it for today. If you're up for leaving a comment, let us know what's on your list of things to be thankful for this year. Also, be sure to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of 12 UNHINGED ARCs.

Tomorrow on the third stop, rumor has it Morpheus plans to smuggle in an excerpt of UNHINGED. ;) Hope to see you there!

About the Book

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.
If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Author Info

A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would've happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Media

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Tumblr

Pinterest

Goodreads

Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Schedule

10/21/2013         Pages From My Thoughts            

10/22/2013         Fiction Freak      

10/23/2013         The White Unicorn

10/24/2013         Icey Books          

10/25/2013         The Cover Contessa        

10/26/2013         Book Hounds   

10/28/2013         Reading Teen     

10/29/2013         Book Haven Extraordaire 

10/30/2013         The Lifelong Bookworm                

10/31/2013         Two Chicks on Books  

11/1/2013            Fiktshun               

11/2/2013            I am a Reader

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Goodreads Blurb
Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.
After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?
In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

Oh my God, How to Love definitely surprised me with how much I loved it! I was so excited to start this due to all my friends' love and gushing over this book, that I was a bit afraid it would fall flat--thank God it didn't!

I was definitely pulled in the moment I saw the synopsis. Usually these kinds of books aren't really my thing--but I'm a romantic at heart and I definitely believe in second chances. I was dying to know exactly how everything would turn out and desperate for the happy ending I was praying would happen. But my lips are sealed and you'll just have to suffer through this absolutely beautiful book to find out what happens and what happened "Before".

And I really loved how Katie Cotugno wrote How to Love. With "Before" and "After" sections, we get to compare and contrast how each character has changed, and how they're still changing. It was definitely fascinating seeing these alternating points in time all stemming from a moment where everything started changing. I loved getting the backstory and I loved watching both of them fall in love twice. In different ways, in different times, but still falling in love!

The biggest thing about this was that while it didn't really make me sob like a baby, it brought out so many emotions that literally hurt my heart (or, at least my chest. My chest hurt.) It was just like a buildup of emotions until I could barely breathe--oh, the feels! It's a raw story that Cotugno writes, and a hard one to write to, but she pulled it off with a flourish and just made me fall in love with her story and her characters.

Oh, the characters. There are no words that could really describe them or why I loved them. They were just such perfectly, beautifully flawed characters that I could find myself in in so many little gestures. They were so real and so fleshed out, I feel as if thousands of people are going to be able to see themselves in this book. We can't help but fall in love with each of them and we can't help but wish we could hide them from any harm. But we can't because in every page, there's some kind of raw pain there, some kind of little kink that makes everything fall just a little more apart.
I absolutely loved Reena's voice, the mistakes she made, the hurt she tried to keep buried, and the facade she tried to maintain until it finally burst. It was...heart wrenching.
Sawyer was just someone I felt like I should hate but couldn't help love. He tries to do the best he can, but sometimes it just isn't...enough, and I hated whenever he got hurt. I really just wanted to cuddle them both and never let go.

How to Love is an absolutely tragic, compelling story of what it's like to let go, and what it's like to hold on. It's brilliant and wonderful, something everyone should read. It's a perfect book about not-so-perfect people with a not-so-perfect relationship that's definitely going to hit home with most readers. Gorgeous writing, lush characters, and a heartbreakingly beautiful romance, what else can you do but read it and love it?

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Oct 1, 2013

Rating: 5 stars

Week of a Fiction Freak

Hey hey hey! Another week, another haul! It's been an exhausting week for some reason and even though we're barely two months in, I'm aching for summer vacay. 

Also, I feel really really stressed for some reason so I could use a hug. *HUGGLES*

Oh. And for some reason, my lighting was weird, so the picture is awkward. I tried to fix it, but...well. You see. 

OH. And these are all books I've preordered throughout the year that finally arrived! I've read HoH already and all I can say is I LOVE how all the stories I've grown up with just intersect and old characters just come back. <3 

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Across a Star Swept Sea by Diana Petefreund

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile by Shannon Messenger

Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein

House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Tandem by Anna Jarzab

HOW IS LIFE. What did you get? Leave a comment and I'll be sure to stop by your blog and stalk your books. Because that's just what I do.

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Goodreads Blurb

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.

I got this for my birthday a while back and I was a bit wary! Let's say, I haven't had the best of luck with Barnes's other books. But Every Other Day pleasantly surprised me and I definitely enjoyed it!

So what I wasn't expecting when I started this--the fact that the entire world knew about the existence of paranormal creatures. I'm not sure how I managed to not see that after rereading the synopsis so many times! But the idea of this world was seriously fascinating. Anyone who's read more than one of my reviews knows that worldbuildingispretty much the #1 thing I look for and Every Other Day did not disappoint in that category! Jennifer Barnes pulled creatures from pretty much every folklore and I have to admit--it was definitely fun!

I absolutely loved the writing and plot. Every Other Day keeps you reading until the last page, making you nervously bite your nails and hang onto every word. The plot just keeps you wanting for more and I desperately wished there was a sequel! Seriously. There were so many unexpected twists (and betrayals!) KICK BUTT PLOT HERE. 

And since we're on the topic of kick butt, let's talk characters. Because Kali? KICK. BUTT. She was such a fierce fighter and loyal friend! She was down to earth and reasonable (unlike some...) and was an all around great character! 

Oneof the things I love is how unique each character was. Skylar, self proclaimed "school slut" was actually a pretty innocent and (psychic) sweet girl! She was a bit quirky at times but it just made her all the more lovable! Bethany, resident popular and mean girl, was definitely more than that. She was snarky, mean, but she cared a lot. She was also pretty helpful and definitely did sassy well!

So, there was a tad of romance that I found absolutely adorable! But, umm, that's all for romance. 

Definitely unexpected, Every Other Day blew me away! (You guys, I'm totally a poet) It has an eye catching cover, an interesting synopsis, and an edge of your seat story! And? The ending was perfect! Absolutely. Perfect. 

Pages: 336

Genre: Paranormal/Sci-fi

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: Egmont USA

Release Date: Dec 27, 2011

Rating: 4 stars

Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Goodreads Blurb

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.
The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.
Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.
Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

Oh my dear God, I can not tell you guys how much I loved this book. I was a bit wary going into it since I'd just broken a book slump, but I loved Suzanne Young's Program, so I thought why not?
And Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young are an absolutely brilliant writing pair--I honestly hope they write more books together. I will officially read anything by them.

"It's just...the point is yeah, we're fated to live a certain life. But it's not like we're being mind controlled or anything."

The thing about this book is that it can be ruined by the smallest thing. Having two stories with the same cast of characters is going to be hard, but I feel like our authors pulled it off beautifully. The story, or stories, are just so wonderful and sad, and they left an ache in my heart. I loved how it all circled back to only one ending and how amazing that ending was. I loved how we got to finally see the two outcomes of one choice, and how just one decision changed the course of her life. And I loved how, in both versions, you still adore the characters, and you still get the meaning of it all.

"There's a little thing called free will."

I feel like the stories would've been stunning on their own, but with both, it just enhances the read and makes everything so much more...hopeful. Beautiful. Amazing. It's a fascinating way to tell a story, to tell a story twice, and I couldn't help buy laugh and cry at certain parts, when one version of the story paralleled with the other, when we meet old characters for the first time again, and when you realize what's finally happening.

"(...) we have freedom to make mistakes. (...) I'm saying that our mistakes--one mistake or many of them--don't define us. They don't derail us."

Just Like Fate is about so many things. It's about coping with loss, it's about running away or facing your mistakes. It's about familial and romantic love, and it's about figuring out which road you should take. But most of all, it's about fate.
The way Caroline interacted with some of the other characters broke my heart and other times, they made me laugh. Her relationship with so many of the characters were so real, despite a few being rushed. They were real characters with real feelings and you couldn't help but love them all, in the end.

"But hopefully having learned something from our stumbles..."

Just Like Fate is one I have to recommend to everyone. It's a story that's both heart wrenching and hopeful, one that's filled with grief and love, and one that will touch you in that rare way only a book can.

"...Having grown into better people because of them."

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Stand-alone

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: Aug 27, 2013

Rating: 5 stars