Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, which is brought to you by Jill at Breaking the Spine! This meme is where you can post about what book(s) you're really look forward to.

This week, I absolutely can't wait for... 

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

O. M. G.  I CANNOT WAIT FOR The Iron Knight TO COME OUT!  Especially since it's from the point of view of Ash *squeal*!!!  I really can't contain my excitement, can I? 

But seriously, if you haven't read any of the books in the Iron Fey series, you should definitely give it a try!!

What are you guys waiting for this week?

Cleo :)

TWISTED by Gena Showalter Tour!

Hey everyone!!

I just wanted to tell you guys about this awesome tour that the Knight Agency is having for the release of Twisted by Gena Showalter!  It seems really awesome, with an epic contest in the end with really cool prizes! 

Here's the low down on what's happening:

To celebrate the release of TWISTED, the third book in her Intertwined series, Gena Showalter is throwing a mega contest and several young adult authors are joining her for the ride, including: Julie Kagawa, PC Cast, Rachel Caine, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Tina Ferraro, Jonathan Friesen, Marley Gibson, Linda Gerber and Chloe Neill, as well as The Knight Agency blog.

The Grand Prize is being hailed as "The Best Night Ever," and with concert tix to your fave music act, an American Eagle gift card for new duds, a glam Urban Decay makeup set for a "new" face AND cash (in the form of a Visa gift card) for dinner, how can it not turn into the best night you ever had?

The TWISTED Tour spans almost two weeks and 11 websites from August 22nd through September 2nd. The Grand Prize winner will be awarded all the essentials for a perfect night out, including:
- $250 Ticketmaster Gift Card
- $100 American Eagle Outfitters Gift Card
- $100 Visa Gift Card for Dinner
- Glam Urban Decay Makeup Gift Set

A Second Prize winner will receive an autographed set of Gena’s Intertwined series, including INTERTWINED, UNRAVELED and TWISTED.

HOW TO PLAY: Visit www.KnightAgency.net/twistedtour.php and check the tour schedule. Visit the sites of each author on their assigned tour date and locate the concert ticket image.

At the end of the tour, fill out the form on the aforementioned TWISTED Tour contest webpage by matching the concert ticket images to the authors’ websites that they were located on before Sunday, September 4th at 11:59pm ET. The winners will be randomly drawn and notified on or around September 9th, 2011.

Did you read what the prizes are??  I would definitely hop along with the tour... Especially for those prizes!  Be sure to check it out before September 4th!!

Good luck to those who are participating!

Cleo :)

Cover Crazy (25)

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme that was created by Tawni over at The Book Worms to show which cover(s) you are absolutely going crazy over!

So, this week I think I'm going crazy over the cover for The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder!

Here's why I love it:

• I really love the solid pink background!  It really pops out and highlights the image that was layered underneath (How do you actually describe that technique?).
• I also really like how they have the image below the pink layer.  I don't know why but I always find that very cool :D
• This book kind of seems like it's about having hope and the cover just kind of screams that with the peaceful looking model and the sky in the background. 

What are you guys going crazy over this week?

Cleo :)

Giveaway Reminder!

Don't forget to enter our first ever giveaway for our one year blogoversary which ends this Sunday (8/21)!!!  So you only have two more days!

You can win a signed copy of Supernaturally by Kiersten White and other assorted little goodies :)  So click here to enter!

Also, it's only open to US residents, sorry International followers!  We still love you guys, so hopefully there will be one for everyone in the future :D

Good luck!

Cleo :)

Waiting on Wednesday! (14)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, which is brought to you by Jill at Breaking the Spine! This meme is where you can post about what book(s) you're really look forward to.

This week, I absolutely can't wait for... 

DEATH CURE BY JAMES DASHNER!

It's the 3rd book in The Maze Runner trilogy!

I've written a review for the previous books which can be seen HERE and HERE!

I can't wait for this book to come out, I'm in love with this series! Check it out!

Synopsis

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.

Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

What are you guys waiting for this week?

Review: Entwined

Title: Entwined
Author: Heather Dixon
Date Released: March 29th, 2011
Pages: 480
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Description:
Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.
 
The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
 
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
 
But there is a cost.
 
The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Review:
I really, really liked I Entwined!  I haven't read a fairytale in a while, and this was definitely magical. 

I will admit that it started off slow and I wasn't sure if Entwined was going to work for me.  Somethings got a little repetitive, like going to dance at Keeper's paviolion at night, but once I got towards the middle, things really got addicting.  It started to get really suspenseful and intriguing. 

I think that the best thing about Entwined were the sisters.  Each of them had their own personality, whether it being a book worm or really talkative and loud.  I also thought it was unique how Dixon named each of the 12 sisters after plants and alphabetically from A-L.  I also really liked Azalea.  She was modest in a way, very kind, and tried her hardest to take care of her 11 trouble making sisters.  On the other hand, the Keeper was a total creeper and really mysterious throughout the novel.  Even the description in the cover jacket makes Keeper sound creepy...  I also loved the character development of the King.  Throughout the course of the novel, you see him transform from this strict, apathetic man to a loving father.  I loved that part of the novel because it was so sweet and sort of heart-warming :)

Another thing I loved was how Dixon intertwined the passion of the 12 sisters, which was dancing, into the novel.  Dancing was like their life, and even some of the youngest ones who were like 2 or 3 years old danced, and loved it.  Their passion really excited me throughout the novel and made me feel extremely bad for them when it was taken away for mourning. 

So, obviously I loved a lot of things about this novel, hence the excessive use of the word "loved" towards the end of this review.  It's a really cute fairytale that was pretty much enjoyable through most of the book.  If you're looking for a book based on a fairytale, then try Entwined!  It's a really delightful read and very entertaining.

Cover Review:
The cover is absolutely gorgeous!  The dress that the model is wearing is beautiful and so is the background, with the castle and the garden.  What's really cool is that all the swirly flowery vines on the cover are actually silver which  are part of a setting in the book. 

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy borrowed from a local library.

Cover Crazy 24

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme that was created by Tawni over at The Book Worms to show which cover(s) you are absolutely going crazy over!

This week, I'm loving the cover for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto!

Here's why:

• I love the design of the wings how they look so delicate and beautiful, like how at the base of the wings, closer to her back the feathers are thick and dark but as they branch out they become transparent and curve upward.
• I love the angle of the bodies, to me it shows a bit of desperation, paints this picture of them being united and in their own world.
• I love the glare of the sun in between their faces and how it circles out and frames them.
• I love the contrast between the dark colored bodies and the bright, golden hue of the background. 
• I love the tree, it makes me think that this is a special place. Somewhere only they know. (<---- Keane reference! Love the original and the cover by Darren Criss!)

So what do you guys think? And what covers are you going crazy over?

Review: Possession

Title: Possession
Author: Elana Johnson
Date Released: June 7th, 2011
Pages: 416
Rating: 3 out of 5

Description:
Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Review:
I liked Possession and thought that it was an okay book.  Dystopian is becoming one of my favorite genres, so I thought, why not read Possession?  Possession is a great book when considering everything except for how the plot progressed.

I'll start with the good things.  I really loved the whole idea of a community (or nation? Vi's homeland sounded pretty big since travelling seemed to take a while...) of people who are controlled, like literally, through people called the Thinkers.  Definitely a really cool idea.  Another thing that I liked were the characters.  I actually liked Vi's stubborness and how she and Jag were like "Baddies" rebelling against the Thinkers.  I also liked Vi's sense of humor and sarcasm that was never ending, giving the book a much more realistic point of view from a teenager, instead of telling it in a more mature voice.

The thing that I didn't like about Possession was the plot.  It was a good plot in terms of where it was headed and what happened, and there are lots of twists and turns, but it kind of went at a fast pace that sort of had no flow, and sometimes it would leave me confused.  Like I would be reading and Vi and Jag would be in one place on one page and a totally different place on another and I'd just be like, "What happened??" or "How did they get there??" I think maybe it was the transitions between time that were confusing?  Or I was forgetting that they had transporters?

Another thing that I wasn't a big fan of was the love triangle between Vi, Zenn, and Jag.  It just didn't feel right for most of the time.  She really liked both of them, but then there was always something to worry about when it comes to Zenn or Jag and it got a little tad bit annoying.  Maybe the love triangle was a little boring and not as intense as others?  I guess I just wasn't really intrigued by the love triangle as much as I would usually be.

Overall, I liked Possession.  I just felt that some things were a little off, like the pacing of the novel and the love triangle.  I think that when Elana Johnson's sequel to Possession comes out, I'll give it a try, since it did leave on the hugest cliffhanger.  If you're absolutely in need of another dystopian novel, then try Possession because I think that the idea that Johnson wrote about is really cool!

Cover Review:
I really like this cover!  It's really simple, since it just has that one image in the middle, but you know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!  When you actually get the book and look at the cover, the jacket is a little shimmery which is really cool. I also love the cover scheme they chose!

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy borrowed from the library.

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

I don't know about you guys, but I have SO many books I can't wait to come out! Anyway, Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, which is brought to you by Jill at Breaking the Spine! This meme is where you can post about what book(s) you're really look forward to.

This week, I absolutely can't wait for...

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all.

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I haven't read Kimberly Derting's first two novels yet, The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead, even though I want to soooooo badly because I've heard and read so many great reviews on it.  But then I heard that she's writing like a dystopian/sci-fi type novel and I was like, "COOL!" because I'm currently obsessed with dystopian :D  This comes out on November 15th!

What are you guys waiting for this week?

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com

Teaser Tuesday (11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. If you wanna play along, just follow the guidelines below!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"With a cry of delight, the girls jumped to their feet and Azalea lined them up, showing them how to point their toes and turn on the balls of their feet, and how to jump lightly with just a flick of their foot.  A rosy pink touched their pale cheeks, and the mirrors along the wall caught their smiles as they turned, all seeming to feel the warm bit of flicker inside them.  Azalea loved dancing for that glow."

~From Entwined by Heather Dixon; page 77-78

I really liked this teaser because it shows Azalea and her sister's passion for dancing which is what the book is sort of about since it's based on the 12 Dancing Princesses (right?).

What's your Teaser Tuesday for this week?  Share it in the comments below!

Cleo :)

Cover Crazy (23)

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme that was created by Tawni over at The Book Worms to show which cover(s) you are absolutely going crazy over!

This week, I'm loving the cover for Hereafter by Tara Hudson!

Here's why:

• I really love the colors that the cover designer chose.  They're really mellow colors.  I also like how it fades from light to dark, yellow to dark blue.  Somehow the cover designer made it blend perfectly.
• I think it's really cool how they did her dress.  You can still faintly see the outlines, but what's really cool is that it seems like dress is made out of water and the top of the bodice is outlined with the trees.  Isn't that awesome?!
• It's also really cool how the model is fading out because she's, well... a ghost :D

So, what do you guys think about this cover?  What covers are you guys going crazy over this week?

Cleo :)

*Picture from goodreads.com

BOOKLOPEDIA'S BLOGOVERSARY & GIVEAWAY! HOORAY!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!  SORRY IF YOU MISSED OUT!

WELL ISN'T THIS JUST AMAZING?!?! 
IT'S ALREADY BEEN A YEAR SINCE BOOKLOPEDIA HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING!
First of all,
Cleo
Margaret 
and myself,
want to thank all of you who have been following and commenting on our reviews, whether you've been with us for the whole year or just joined! It means a lot to know that people are reading our blog and giving us words of encouragement! So, with that in mind, as a thank you to you guys we will be having... *drum roll*


A GIVEAWAY! YAY!


We will be giving away a signed, hardcover copy of Kiersten White's newest book, Supernaturally! 

With the book you'll also receive some cute stationary, courtesy of Cleo!
The giveaway will be open from Sunday 8/7/2011 to Sunday, 8/21/2011!


Unfortunately, the contest will only be open to participants in the U.S.
Cleo told me to make sure you guys know it's because "we're poor and can't afford the shipping" and NOT because we don't like you international followers because, we actually really like you guys! You make things interesting! But alas, our hands are tied!


Here is the link to the form!


We will e-mail the winner at the end of the contest, good luck to you all, and have a wonderful day!


xoBAYLEExo

Review: Supernaturally

Title: Supernaturally
Author: Kiersten White
Date Released: July 26th, 2011
Pages: 336
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Description:
Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Review:
Supernaturally was so dang cute!  And funny.  And definitely had some action.  What's Evie without some bag n' tags? 

Kiersten White creates the most loveable characters... Especially Evie.  She has that perkiness that most teenage girls have, she's super girly, and she's super funny.  She also happens to have the most awesomest boyfriend in the world, Lend.  He's still that same really sweet guy, but now he's kind of overprotective because Evie can be quite a handful...  White also introduces a new character.  Meet the new kid on the block, Jack.  Jack is hilarious.  He's kind of like a kid at heart, always jumping around, having fun, but something seriously unexpected happens that involves Jack... Which kind of made me sad because even though he annoys the heck out of Evie, he was becoming one of my favorite characters.

Loved the plot! It was really intriguing and went at an even, smooth pace.  Although I felt like most of it was concentrated on Evie adjusting to her life, along the way, she finds out some pretty stunning revelations about herself.  Towards the end comes the biggest twist.  It was definitely a shocker and kind of made my head spin for a moment.

Why a 4.5 out of 5 even though I really liked Supernaturally?  At first, I wasn't really sure of where it was going because most of the revelation-y stuff came at the end, and the beginning was mostly school, Lend, IPCA work, and Jack for Evie so I wasn't quite sure if there was going to be a main focus, but it eventually came along so everything worked out :D

Overall, Supernaturally was BLEEPIN' awesome!  Kiersten White wrote a great addition to the series and I love the characters that she created and the plot was pretty spectacular.  I definitely can't wait until Endlessly comes out!  I'm sure that it'll be even better.  Definitely can't wait for it to come out!!

Cover Review:
Love the cover.  It's a really pretty cover, with Evie posing in a field of flowers and a rather sinister looking background.  I think it's actually portraying a setting in the book, which you will realize is on the cover when you read it. 

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.

Review: Wolfsbane

Title: Wolfsbane
Author: Andrea Cremer
Date Released: July 26th, 2011
Pages: 390
Rating: 5 out of 5

Description:
When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive. 

Review:
I don't think that there could be any words to describe how flipping awesome I personally think that this book is.  Well, I guess we could start off with, I LOVED THIS AND IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME AND I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL BLOODROSE COMES OUT IN FEBRUARY!  Whew, I think that that just about sums it up.

So, Wolfsbane starts off about a week after Nightshade, jumping right back into action.  Not only do you get a whole lot of action, but you also learn so much about the history of the Keepers, Searchers, and Guardians (especially the Searchers).  I seriously could not put this book down because there was never a dull moment in Wolfsbane with all the romance, action, and history. 

All the characters were still awesome, each holding their own various personalities, even though some of them might have changed like Ansel, Calla's little brother.  Calla has got to be my favorite character because despite everything that she goes through, she's still very headstrong about everything and tried to do everything that she can to save her pack, even if it might be reckless.  Actually, I have to say that one thing that kind of annoyed me about Calla in Wolfsbane was her inability to choose between Shay and Ren because you can't love both of them.  I really wonder who she'll end up choosing in the end...  Maybe another thing that annoyed be about Wolfsbane was Shay.  He was a tad annoying when he'd get all upset over Calla still being in love with Ren, but can't he not see that they have this connection since they were like... bound (is that the right word?) to each other?

Speaking of the end, the ending was kind of like an, "OMG! I NEED THE NEXT BOOK! PRONTO!  GAH! I HATE YOU CLIFFHANGERS!" moment.  It kind of made the book feel a little incomplete when Cremer sort of just left off there on that huge cliffhanger, but the good thing is that it seriously leaves you wanting more.  It was also sort of an unexpected ending, because what happened was, well... unexpected and maybe a little random, but surprising in a very good way. 

Overall, I loved Wolfsbane and I think that it was a great sequel to Nightshade, filling us in on a lot more history between the Searchers and the Keepers, and keeping the chemistry between Calla and Shay, as well as Ren, alive (although, I really sort of wished that she'd hurry up and choose someone... preferably Ren, but that's obviously not going to happen)  I definitely can't wait until Bloodrose comes out... Hurry up February!

Cover Review:
Quite honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the cover change that they had for the series.  I really loved the old Wolfsbane, but in some ways, this could work, too.  I love the model's wolfish crouching pose, although it looks kind of seductive...  And it has this really dark atmosphere with this flash of green.  I love how that put that drop of blood on the "f" in the title... It's a really cool touch :D

P.S. If you've already finished Wolfsbane (like, you seriously have to because then it'll just spoil the whole book for you) and you need a peace of mind, just click here, where you can read the first chapter on EW.com.  Trust me, you'll need it to hold you over until Bloodrose comes out. 
P.P.S.  Sorry for all the caps!  It's just my way of showing my excitement, so when you read those sentences in caps, read it in an excited girly voice :D

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased. 

Waiting On Wednesday (12)

I don't know about you guys, but I have SO many books I can't wait to come out! Anyway, Waiting On Wednesdayh is a weekly meme, which is brought to you by Jill at Breaking the Spine! This meme is where you can post about what book(s) you're really look forward to.

This week, I absolutely can't wait for...

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free.

Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.

Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet.

I absolutely cannot wait until Pandemonium comes out on March 6th!!  Which seems like a million lightyears away... But hopefully it'll be here before we know it.  Delirium was epicly awesome and I'm pretty sure that Pandemonium will be just as awesome :D

What are you guys waiting for on this fine, sunny, and hot Wednesday?

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com

Teaser Tuesday (10)

Well, I finally decided that it was time to do another Teaser Tuesday since it's been a VERY long time since I did one :D  And I actually really like Teaser Tuesday since you get to share with everyone what you're reading!  And I'm definitely loving the book that I'm reading this week :)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. If you wanna play along, just follow the guidelines below!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's Teaser Tuesday:

"I was dead.  I was so, so dead.  I was going to be expelled and then I'd never get into Georgetown, and I'd work at the diner for the rest of my life and Lend would marry the dryad lab assistant and they'd have half-tree-and-one-quarter-water-thing babies, and no one would know quite what they were, but they'd be beautiful.  And I'd serve them French fries when they came home to visit."

~From Supernaturally by Kiersten White; page 79

Hahaha I LOVE Evie!!!  She's sooo funny!  If you haven't read the Kiersten White's first book, Paranormalcy, I totally recommend that you do :D  And then you'd get to read Supernaturally, the super awesome sequel to Paranormalcy.Share your teasers below and I'll check them out!

Cleo :)

Review: Split

Title: Split
Author: Swati Avasthi
Date Released: March 9th, 2010
Pages: 282
Rating: 4 out of 5

Description:
Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret.

He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.

At least so far.

Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. First-time novelist Swati Avasthi has created a riveting and remarkably nuanced portrait of what happens after. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split—how do you begin to live again? Readers won’t be able to put this intense page-turner down.

Review:
Split was very real. It deals with the heavy subject of physical abuse within the family, which main character, Jace Witherspoon, had gone through for most of his life, watching his mother, brother, Christian, and even himself, get beat up by his father.

When I started this book, I honestly had no idea of what I was about to get myself into. The description in the cover flap kind of left me a little confused when it was talking about how he had a banged up face, and I was kind of like, “What??” But note to self: never judge a book by its description. Or at least in this case.

I loved most of the characters, especially Jace because he was a funny and very courageous character, who goes through some confusion when it comes to seeing if he’s just like his dad or not, but he’s a very likable character. One character that I couldn’t really stand at all was Christian’s girlfriend, Mirriam. She was kind of nosy, and tried fixing things when clearly Jace didn't want her help.

The plot was very well thought out as well.  It moved at a nice pace, not too slow, and not too fast.  Although, the middle might have lagged a bit, I liked reading about Jace's constant struggle over whether or not he would become like his dad, and what happens after you leave an abusive relationship.

Avasthi wrote a very eye-opening novel in a way because I never thought that abuse could have an impact like that on a person.  Split was a really great read, but it wasn't exactly a very light read. It can get a little intense, but, nevertheless, give it a try if you're looking for something new because I definitely recommend it. 

Cover Review:
It's a really cool cover.  The red really pops out at you, but the keys are what really grab your attention.  I really had no idea of how keys related to the story, but I found out that if you look closely, you can see two faces!!  Once you find them, the faces are really all you can see!

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy won in a giveaway.

Review: Beauty Queens

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Date Released: May 14th, 2011
Pages: 390
Rating: 4 out of 5

Description:
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Review:
This is definitely laughoutloud hilarious!!  I've never read a Libba Bray book before, so I wasn't quite sure of what to expect, but this was pretty funny.  I also wasn't quite sure of what I was getting into, because for some reason I sort of thought that they were going to like start killing each other or resorting to cannibalism or something violent, kind of like a Lost (the TV show) meets Gone (the book by Michael Grant) meets Lord of the Flies type of thing. 

I'm not totally sure of how this story was told, but to me, it seemed to be told like it was an actual TV show, complete with commercial breaks that absolutely cracked me up.  What really surprised me about this book were the characters.  So, there were some of the dumb blondes, like Tiara (Miss Mississippi), and the ones with brains, like Adina (Miss New Hampshire).  But throughout the whole book, the major characters Adina, Mary Lou (Miss Nebraska), Petra (Miss Rhode Island), Jennifer (Miss Michigan), Sosie (Miss Illinois), Nicole (Miss Colorado), and Shanti (Miss California) all go through self-discovering changes and realizations of what they really want to pursue, instead of being in pagaents.  The characters were extremely funny and all of them were different in their own way.  What was also very surprising was how they were able to take care of themselves and survive... I thought that they wouldn't most of the time...

The plot was totally unexpected.  While I was reading, I was like, "How is this book going to end??" I kind of thought that everyone would die in the end or something, but it was the complete opposite, and you eventually find out why all of this happened, which is completely jaw-dropping.  Bray really threw in a lot of unexpected twists and turns that really kept Beauty Queens engaging and interesting.

I think it was genius how she blended in the profile of some of the pagaent girls, interviews with people like Ladybird Hope, top secret documents, and of course, the commercials. 

Beauty Queens was an absolutely enjoyable read all the way, with no dull moments at all.  It's really funny too, so if you're looking for a book to make you laugh... CHOOSE THIS ONE! 

Cover Review:
Coolest cover ever??  I think so.  This is definitely a very creative cover with the girl wearing the bikini along with the pagaent sash and a bullet thing with lipsticks in it instead of bullets.  It kind of also screams "THIS IS FUNNY! SO READ IT!" in a way, or at least to me. 

Cleo :)

*Description and picture from goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.

Cover Crazy (22)

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme that was created by Tawni over at The Book Worms to show which cover(s) you are absolutely going crazy over!

This week I'm absolutely loving the cover for Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter!

Here's why:

• The waterfall is beautiful and just adds a lot to the cover.  Who knew that one picture could make such a big difference?
• Doesn't the waterfall just make you feel so refreshed?  I was just going through some books on Amazon, when I spotted this and this feeling of calmness just totally hit me.
• I think that the calmness must come from the greenish blue that they chose, and I like how the black and the greenish blue seem to mix.
• This cover has also got me kind of curious because the girl looks like she might jump into the waterfall??  I guess I'll just have to find out for myself...
• I'm also a big sucker for fonts and I LOVE the font that they used for the author's name and where it says "a shadow falls novel"... SO COOL!

Overall, the cover gives off a dark but calming aura... kind of weird, I know, but do you agree with me?  I think it's the waterfall that makes the cover look really cool.

Cleo :)