Review - A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Title: A Need So Beautiful
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Series/Standalone: Book 1 (sequel comes out summer 2012)
Source: Purchased

Summary from Amazon.com: We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be forgotten.


Charlotte's best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she's cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what's really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.


But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become—her mark on this earth, her very existence—is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.


Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny—no matter how dark the consequences?


My Review: 


I just knew I had to buy this book when I saw the shimmery, gorgeous cover and because Kimberly Derting, one of my favorite authors, wrote a blurb for it that's on the back of the book. I am very pleased to say that the story inside is just as beautiful and wonderful as the cover. 


I've recently gotten into angel stories ever since I read and loved Cynthia Hand's Unearthly. While this is an angel story, readers who don't like angel stories should still give this book a chance because it's very unique and not a typical angel book.  Charlotte experiences the Need--an urge to assist strangers who needs help, and the pull won't go away until she fulfills the Need. However, her kind is known as the Forgotten, meaning that she is on earth to fulfill the Need, but each time she fulfills the Need she becomes a step closer to vanishing from the memories of everyone she loves. 


The love story in this book is perfect. Harlin was a very swoonworthy love interest, and I looked forward to all of the scenes with him in them. I really don't understand the line in the summary (see above for it) about how her boyfriend thinks she's cheating on him. Did I miss something? I thought Harlin was a very supportive boyfriend who would get frustrated and worried when Charlotte seemed to be keeping something about her health a secret from him, but I don't think he ever doubted her faithfulness to him. 


I will definitely be rereading this beautiful story! With the killer cliffhanger at the end, I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait until next summer to get my hands on the sequel, A Want So Wicked! 


Rating: 10/10

Review - Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Title: Playing Hurt
Author: Holly Schindler
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: March 8, 2011
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Source: Purchased

Summary from Amazon.com: Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.


As a graduation present, Chelsea's dad springs for a three-week summer "boot camp" program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she's immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who's haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?


My Review:


I thought this was an enjoyable contemporary fiction book and I was sucked into the story quickly, but my major dislike for Chelsea, the main character, prevented me from loving this book. 


 The story alternates between the perspectives of Chelsea, a star basketball player with an injury that kills her chance at playing at the college level, and Clint, who has stopped playing hockey because of a tragedy in his past, as they are brought together at a resort where her family is taking a summer vacation. 


It sounds like a very fluffy summer romance, but I wouldn't necessarily consider it a light read. Both Chelsea and Clint have to overcome things in their pasts that have stunted their abilities to live freely, and they begin to heal together. 


I couldn't fully enjoy this book because of Chelsea's selfishness. She has a very sweet boyfriend named Gabe, and yet she feels attracted to Clint at the summer resort, which is fine.... but then she just flat out cheats on her boyfriend, which is not okay in my mind. I couldn't bring myself to like her or care that she was overcoming her fears and past because I thought she was a rotten person. I was DYING for one of the boys to just call her out on her selfishness already! It's not like the love triangles from most YA books in which the girl has two boys fighting over her and maybe she's kind of stringing along one, but she really is committed to one of the boys. No. Chelsea is a major cheater who doesn't think of how others feel and I just couldn't respect her at all. 


Despite my extreme dislike for Chelsea, I still did like the book and kept turning the pages quickly. I loved Clint, and since he narrated half the story, perhaps that's why I still consider it to be a good book. I'd recommend for you to pick it up if you are looking for a fast contemporary read that has depth to it. 


One side note: I must say that the cover for this book is one of the silliest, stupidest, covers I've ever seen and has absolutely no relevance to the story. Is that supposed to be Chelsea and Clint? The feet on the right don't even look masculine. I actually was reluctant to pick up this book because the cover is so fluffy. I'm pleased to say that the story inside is much deeper than what the cover would suggest. I realize that authors have no say in their book covers, so this part does not at all count against my rating of the book. I just felt like I had to vent about my cover hate here!


Rating: 7/10

Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 


I don't reread books nearly as often as I want to because of my ever-growing TBR pile. However, I recently started to get into audiobooks and find that this is a great way to re-read books because I listen to them when doing chores or walking to places--times when I wouldn't be able to sit down with a book anyway. I find that having the story read to me makes it more "new" to me as well.


YA Books

Hands down, one of the funniest books I've ever read with the best "voice" I've ever encountered. I want Audrey to be my best friend!

This book doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should, which is a shame because it's funny and it takes place at college which is a setting that I'd like to see in more YA books. I picked it up because Meg Cabot raved about it on her blog a couple of years ago (and hooked me with the whole "boyfriend has a hot, shirtless roommate" thing.)

I had a smile on my face the entire time when reading this book. Thank you to all the bloggers who recommended it over and over... I probably would've never picked up a book called Anna and the French Kiss if not for all of the gushing reviews. 

I'm counting the whole series as one pick. This is my all-time favorite series with an awesome heroine and the hottest boys in YA! Dimitri, Adrian, Christian... can't decide! I'll take them all!

This book has TUCKER AVERY in it. That in and of itself warrants itself a reread. 

A few years ago when I was getting over my Twilight addiction, I picked up this book and devoured it. I would have to credit this book as well as Twilight as the books that got me interested in reading YA books, and now that is pretty much all that I read!

I just read this book over the weekend (it doesn't come out until January) and I already have plans to reread it this winter because I loved it and it has a very wintry feel to it. If you liked Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder, I think you'll love this because the books are very similar. (I think The Body Finder is actually one of the books I've reread the most.) 

One of my all-time favorite books that makes me happy because the romance between Alex and Brittany is amazing. I read this book in one sitting and Alex remains my favorite Fuentes brother. (In fact, when reading Rules of Attraction and Chain Reaction, I found myself looking forward to the scenes where he and Brittany make appearances the most.) 


Adult Books


I DO read some adult books, promise! These two are my favorites and are definitely worthy of rereading. 

I think I'll be rereading this book this winter because it has a gothic atmosphere to it. This book celebrates a love of reading and stories.

Like The Thirteenth Tale, a book lover will appreciate this one. Here's a quote from the inside of the jacket (an excerpt of one of Juliet's letters in the book) that describes what I mean: "I wonder how this book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers." 




What are books that you want to reread? Do you like rereading books? Do reread often or not enough? 

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.


For Review:
None


Gifted, Traded or Swapped:

Forgotten - Cat Patrick I have been wanting to read this one for quite some time!
Fracture - Megan Miranda 
Shatter Me - Tehereh Mafi Super excited! This is the book I've been most looking forward to this fall besides Kimberly Derting's The Pledge. I haven't seen a single negative review.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers - Lynn Weingarten

Very pretty swag from Brenda Pandos (thank you, Brenda!)

Signed bookplate (already put in my purchased copy of Sweetly) from Jackson Pearce (thank you, Jackson!)








Bought:

Angel Fire - L.A. Weatherly I didn't want to wait for this sequel to Angel Burn to be published in the U.S., so I ordered it from the Book Depository. Then the Book Depository surprised me by sending it out early--release date is officially October 1. Yay! Plus, it's a fat book with over 700 pages so I am one very happy reader!
Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions - edited by Melissa Marr & Kelly Armstrong I am really, really NOT a short story person, but this book is packed with stories by many of my favorite authors so I just had to get it. Maybe it will help me start to like short stories. Question for anyone who has read this: do you think it would be better to read an author's series before the short story if the short story is set in the same "world" or does it not matter? 
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor


Bought (for Kindle):

Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost
The Night Huntress series is my favorite adult series (and it is tied with Vampire Academy for my all-time favorite series). I already bought Halfway to the Grave and read it back in March on my Kindle, but this new version with BONUS MATERIAL is only $1.99 right now for the Kindle, so I just had to get it. The bonus material was totally worth it!

Playing Hurt - Holly Schindler

Dark Heart Forever - Lee Monroe

The Ivy: Secrets - Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur
This is the sequel to The Ivy and I devoured it earlier this week and posted my review. Think Gossip Girl but in a college setting. 






Did you have a good book week? Let me know what you got! 

Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

The Banned Books Week hop is hosted by I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. 


I oppose banning or challenging books because other people or groups should not determine what I am allowed to read, which is exactly what they attempt to do when they seek to remove certain books they view as objectionable from libraries, bookstores, or classrooms. I am so glad we have Banned Books Week (September 24 through October 1) to celebrate the freedom to read!


The most common reasons that people or groups want to challenge books, according to the American Library Association, is because they believe these books are "sexually explicit," contain "offensive language," or are "unsuited to any age group." I think it is acceptable for parents to monitor and restrict what their own children read (though I am glad that my parents allowed me to read what I wanted to read when I was growing up), but they greatly overstep their boundaries when they attempt to control what other people read.


ALA reports that the most frequently challenged books of this past decade have been the books in the Harry Potter series. The reasons for challenging this series include: anti-family, occult/Satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence. Give me a break! I love how J.K. Rowling fights back against censorship in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:


      "By Order of The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts: Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled.
      For some reason, every time Hermione caught sight of one of these signs she beamed with pleasure.
      'What exactly are you so happy about?' Harry asked her.
      'Oh Harry, don't you see?' Hermione breathed. 'If she could have done one thing to make absolute sure that every person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!' 
      And it seemed that Hermione was quite right. By the end of that day, though Harry had not seen so much as a corner of The Quibbler anywhere in the school, the whole place seemed to be quoting the interview at each other..." - pages 581-582 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix


Take that, book (or in this case, magazine) banners!!! I think J.K. Rowling is a genius and my childhood would have not been the same without the Harry Potter series because never before had I been so excited to read a series of books that I would go to B&N at midnight on the release date to get a copy of the next book in the series! I am so grateful that these ignorant people and groups did not succeed in banning Harry Potter from my local bookstores and libraries.


While it would be fitting to give away the Harry Potter series after this post, I'm pretty sure that almost everyone in this world already owns it, so I want to give away something different:

I am giving away a brand new copy of The Hunger Games, Twenty Boy Summer, or Just Listen (winner's choice). All three of these books have been banned or challenged and are among my favorites. 






To enter the giveaway (ends October 1): Follow this blog and leave a comment below with your email address and which book you want to win. 

Have fun hopping over to the other blogs for some very awesome giveaways!


GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2. 

Review - Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Series/Standalone: Book 2 in Heist Society series
Source: Swapped

Summary from Amazon.com: Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed. Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time. Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.


My Review:


I loved Heist Society so I was very glad the sequel was just as enjoyable. These books remind me so much of Ocean's 11, but with teens instead of adults. The story is an exciting and a quick read, taking you all over the world alongside Kat and her friends as they try to steal back the Cleopatra Emerald. 


The cast of characters is wonderful. I want to be a part of Kat's team! Hale is around a lot, which I'm sure will please readers, but their relationship is primarily in the form of friendship instead of romance (though we all know they will eventually get together, right?). 


One of the things I appreciated most about this book and Heist Society is that they both had their own story arcs that were resolved within the novels instead of ending with massive cliffhangers because cliffhanger endings always make me feel unfulfilled, as if I didn't get a whole book. 


This book is a very fun read and I hope that we get another book about Kat's adventures soon! 


Rating: 8/10

Review - The Ivy: Secrets by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur

Title: The Ivy: Secrets
Author: Lauren Kunze with Rina Oliver
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: May 31, 2011
Series/Standalone: Book 2 in The Ivy series
Source: purchased on Kindle

Summary from Amazon.com: Gregory or Clint? Clint or Gregory? Matt, anyone? And what is Lexi up to . . .exactly? When we last saw Callie Andrews, she was caught on the horns of a dilemma. Lexi was threatening to expose all of her safely guarded, deeply buried secrets from high school, and Callie had just hooked up with bad-boy Gregory--despite the fact that she had a perfect (sort of) boyfriend and her BFF Vanessa had claimed (sort of) Gregory as her own. Yow. Entertaining, hilarious, addictive, scandalous, sexy, and smart, The Ivy series is an insider's look at freshman life at Harvard University. This isn't high school anymore!


My Review:


The Ivy and this sequel can best be described as guilty pleasure books. These books reminds me of Gossip Girl in a college setting, but better.


This book was very addicting (like The Ivy) and I had a hard time putting it down, but it's not a life changing story by any means. However, if you are in the mood for a fun, mindless, and easy read, this is a great book for you. Reading this story was definitely the perfect way for me to relax after a stressful day at work!


Callie's social life was entertaining to read about, as she has three hot boys vying for her attention (I'm personally rooting for Gregory, the player boy who lives next door), an upperclassman girl is blackmailing her, and a roommate who currently hates her. 


I loved the college setting and this story made me really wish I was still a college student. I think more YA books should be set at college because I don't really feel that nostalgic about high school, but I definitely do miss college and would love to "re-live" the experience through books. 


I think the cliffhanger at the end was even more painful than the cliffhanger from the first book. I am glad I didn't pick up this sequel right away (it's been a few months since it was published) so I have less of a waiting time until Rivals, the third book in the series, but next March is still a very long time to wait!


Rating: 9/10

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (3)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Finished Last Week (September 12 - 18):

I finished three out of the four books I planned to read last week:

Finished on 9/14 (Wednesday)
Source/Format: purchased book

Finished on 9/16 (Friday)

Review has been postedSource/Format: Goodreads Bookswap book and borrowed audiobook

Finished on 9/18 (Sunday)

Source/Format: purchased book

Currently Reading/Plan to Read in the Upcoming Week (September 19 - 25):

This is the book that I am currently reading and had hoped to finish last week in the addition to the titles above, but was unable to get through it. I'm hoping it will pick up because I'm not very impressed so far...

I enjoyed Heist Society and have this sequel waiting for me to read on my shelf. I also got the audiobook (because I usually like to always have one audiobook story going for times when I can't sit down and read) so I should be able to get through this book pretty quickly because I have it in two formats.

I borrowed this book from the library and it's due back next week. I read the first book, The Ivy, last fall and it made me wish I was still in college. I'm thinking the sequel will be a good story to read this week because September always makes me think of school and this book has a college setting so I can feel all nostalgic again!

This is a book I just had to have right away when it was released back in March... and I'm just finally getting to it now!







What books did you recently finish or what books are you planning on reading this week?

In My Mailbox (7)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Swapped:
Dreamland Social Club - Tara Altebrando
Half-Blood - Jennifer L. Armentrout (I got the prequel Daimon for my Kindle a couple of weeks ago and plan on reading that first)


And I got a bunch of swag, which I plan on giving away in swap packages, to readers of this blog, and to the teen librarian at my local library (thank you, Jeri Smith-Ready!):

Have you read Shade and Shift? If not, I highly recommend that you do! The boys in this book are great--Logan is a ghost musician and Zachary is from Scotland and has a very cute accent! I am personally Team Kilt!


What did you get this week? 

Review - Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

Title: Sisterhood Everlasting
Author: Ann Brashares
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Series/Standalone: Followup book to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series
Source: Goodreads Bookswap

Summary from Goodreads.com: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting. 


Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness. 


Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected. 


As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one.


My Review:


I was nervous to read this book because I'm not really a fan of epilogues that flash forward into the future (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and this book seemed just like one big epilogue, as the story takes place ten years after the fourth Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book. However, I really did wanted to read it because when I read the series several years ago, I grew to love Lena, Bridget, Tibby, and Carmen and wished that I was a part of their sisterhood, so I was very curious about how they were doing as adults. 


This is actually the first adult book I've read in awhile, but I thought it would be a good crossover book because these characters were introduced to us through a YA series. I had a hard time adjusting to the fact that they were nearly 30 years old at first because in my mind they were still teenagers, but I was drawn back into their lives pretty quickly. 


Lena and Bridget's storylines were always my favorite in the series and I found myself still favoring their storylines the most in this book as well. I think it was because their storylines involved romance and I was pleased to see that Kostos and Eric were still part of their lives. All of the books in the series have been very lighthearted, so I was surprised by the drastic change in tone with this book, but it was a fitting representation of life because they are now adults with responsibilities and no longer carefree teenagers. 


The story was both emotional and fulfilling. It was very hard to say goodbye to the sisterhood again when I turned the last page! 


Rating: 8/10

Review - After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel

Title: After Obsession
Author: Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: September 13, 2011 (today)
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Source: Gift from a friend


Summary from Amazon.com: Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.


Filled with heart-pounding romance, paranormal activity, and rich teen characters to love-and introducing an exciting new YA voice, Steven Wedel-this novel is exactly what Carrie Jones fans have been waiting for. Meet your next obsession.


My Review: 


This book was somewhat unremarkable to me. It was a pretty quick read, but I was expecting much more excitement and thought the atmosphere would be far more creepy than it was. I was prepared to be completely spooked and have to avoid reading this book at dark because I get scared very easily, but the book didn't frighten me at all. 


The story switches between the point of view of Aimee and Alan, who just moved to Aimee's town in Maine to help out his aunt and cousin. Courtney, Alan's cousin and Aimee's best friend, starts acting very strange after her father goes missing in the river. Aimee and Alan believe that a demon (the River Man) is attempting to take possession of Courtney and they set out to save her together. 


I felt like I was watching the story from the outside rather than being a part of the action. There is definitely "instant love" in this book, and while I thought Aimee and Alan's relationship was cute, I wasn't all that invested in it. Perhaps it was because the course of events in this book take place over only about a week. However, I really did like that Alan was half Navajo because we don't see too many non-white male love interests in YA books, and Native American folklore is prevalent throughout the story. I also liked that everything was resolved in this book (it's a standalone) because I've been getting very tired of cliffhangers lately. 


While I do not see myself rereading this book, I still do want to give Carrie Jones' Need series a chance (after all, I do have the trilogy on my shelf!). 


Rating: 6/10