Book Truth (6)

When you think of paradise, what do you imagine?  A library filled with books? 

Or a beach filled with palm trees and books? 

(haha what else would there be?)

Cleo :)

Cover Crush (12): Tumble & Fall

Cover Crush is a feature here at Booklopedia that features covers that I currently have a crush on. I know that there are multiple features out in the blogging world that feature covers, but I thought that it would be nice for Booklopedia to feature something, especially something that I absolutely love about books, even though they always say, "You should never judge a book by its cover."

Today, I have a major crush on the cover for Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts!

A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.

Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world.

Not only does the story sound super interesting, but the cover is gorgeous as well.  While the cover doesn't seem to totally relate to the story, I still love it.  I like the bokeh effect (which are what the dots are called, I believe) which kind of shows the asteroid portion of the story, even though they don't look like chunks of rock, but it gets the idea across.  I also think it's cool how the two people's faces are inside the "&" because it emphasizes that, especially the face of the girl who stares directly at you.  I definitely love the exaggeration of the "&" as well as the font used for the title and author's name which are clean cut and keep the emphasis on what's going on.  Overall, this cover has me sold in wanting to read the book, even though they always say you should never judge a book by its cover. 

What do you think of the cover?

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com

Book Truth (5)

Waiting on Wednesday (47): Invisibility

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature, 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...

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

May 7th, 2013

Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

I really liked David Levithan's Every Day and I loved Andrea Cremer's Nightshade series, so of course Invisibility is on my list of books I want to read.  It also sounds super interesting, with the whole concept of being invisible but only having one person that can see you.  It kind of reminds me of Every Day, but it still has its only original thing going on.  I love that cover, too, which of course is another reason why I should read it :)

What are you waiting for today?

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com

Review: Romeo Redeemed

Title: Romeo Redeemed
Author: Stacey Jay
Date Released: October 9th, 2012
Pages: 394
Rating: 3 out of 5

Description:
Seductive companion to the popular Juliet Immortal, in which former lovers—Romeo and Juliet—meet, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.

Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.

Review:
I never reviewed Juliet Immortal, the predecessor to Romeo Redeemed, but I remember really liking it and gave it a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.  However, I wasn't exactly feeling Romeo Redeemed.  I like the whole twist on the tale of Romeo and Juliet and how Stacey Jay weaved magic and supernatural elements into the story, but the characters faltered a bit in this story and it was just too much of wanting one another and confusion that I didn't enjoy it as much.

This time, the point of view is from Romeo.  He was given a so-called second chance by the Ambassadors to make Ariel, who Juliet formerly inhabited in Juliet Immortal, fall in love with him in three days, and in return he would join the Ambassadors and leave his decaying Mercenary body behind.  Eventually, the two fall in love (as is evident on the cover), but forces try driving the two apart to create a different outcome.

I really liked Ariel in Juliet Immortal, but I guess that's because it was actually Juliet who was just merely using Ariel's body.  Ariel is a rather strange person, and I guess I can wonder why her classmates call her a "freak".  When she gets angry, she becomes murderous, which was the exact opposite of what she seemed like the other half of the time, which was sweet and loving, although a bit mistrusting, especially of Dylan/Romeo.  I did like Romeo's improvement as a character.  He became a lot more kind and was very sweet caring of Ariel which definitely made me fall for him, despite his tumultuous past.

The overall story line did seem to drag on for a bit.  Mostly it was just made up of, "I need her", "I love him", skipping school a lot to be with each other, and just a lot of mushy stuff like that.  You do see the development of the relationship, but it was just too much and actually started to get a little bit boring!  And I'm a sucker for romance so that was saying something.  The book then finally throws something else to the reader, which actually confused me for the remainder of the book.  The magical elements definitely come in at this point, which left me confused and not understanding why there was a sudden switch in personality in Ariel and finding it rather odd.  I will say that the ending was pretty cute.  It was a bit confusing, but it was definitely a twist to the story that ended off on a sweet note :)

Romeo Redeemed seemed like such an intriguing follow up because it wasn't necessarily continuing the events of Juliet Immortal, until you reach the ending, but could almost have been a stand alone since it was told in a completely different point of view and had a completely different story.  However, the story didn't really capture my attention once I realized it was just solely about Ariel and Romeo for a majority of the book, and Ariel didn't really win me over either.  I still did like the romance, to a certain extent, and Romeo was pretty cool throughout the story.  The ending was probably one of the cutest endings I've ever read and it definitely left me satisfied, although I had one huge question, but that would spoil everything ;)  If you're into romance and magic, then you should definitely try out Juliet Immortal and Romeo Redeemed!

Cover Review:
This cover is definitely says a lot about the book.  There is a lot of kissing and stuff like that, but it never happens on the beach.  Although, it does give a romantic setting  and they are situated in California close the ocean.  My parents would probably definitely question what I was reading if they saw this cover.  But, I do like the blue, which kind of emphasizes that this is about Romeo since blue is just stereotypically associated with guys, and the typography adds to the romance that's going on on the cover.

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com
**Review copy borrowed from library.

Review: Hallowed

Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Date Released: January 17th, 2012
Pages: 403
Rating: 4 out of 5

Description:
For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Review:
I didn't really know what to expect in Hallowed since Unearthly ended off with two cliffhangers, one of which could have gone in any direction.  So, I just went into the book going with the flow, partly since it had been over a year since I had read the first book in the series, so I didn't really remember much anyways.  Anyhow, it was a great follow up and kept me hooked until the very end.  There were so many surprises that intrigued me into reading more and more until I pretty much devoured the whole book.

Essentially, Hallowed follows Clara and continues into her senior year of high school.  On top of having to keep up her grades and apply for college, she's trying to figure out what her new vision could possibly mean, and when she finally does, it's heartbreaking.  Meanwhile, she's learning more and more about herself as an angel along with Angela, Christian, and her brother, Jeffrey.

I can't say that I liked Clara as much in Hallowed as I did like her in Unearthly.  For some reason she just seemed different, like she was more self-absorbed or just a little bit shallow.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but she just wasn't as likable.  I think it was her indecisiveness between Tucker and Christian.  She just seemed different when I started getting into Hallowed.  I did really like Angela though, and her quirkiness and inquisitiveness pertaining to her visions and just learning more about angels in general.  Tucker and Christian were both great, although Tucker was rather overprotective of Clara this time and that was a bit annoying.  Christian was just pretty much like the perfect angel that he is throughout the whole book ;)

The overall story kept me super captivated.  I loved how it was a mixture of intensity, surprises, and relaxing moments where I just got to learn more about Clara as an angel and see her build her relationships with others.  If you have read Unearthly and haven't read Hallowed yet, then I suggest you do because there is one... No, two things in the book that are bound to shock you.  They both definitely caught me by surprise.

Hallowed was a great followup to Unearthly, although it was a rather depressing sequel with a twist that just completely breaks your heart.  This book definitely leaves you wanting more and wanting to find out what happens in Boundless because there were so many loose ends.  Thank goodness Boundless is already out!  If you haven't read Unearthly yet, then I suggest you do!!  Especially if you're into reading about angels.  It won't disappoint :)

Cover Review:
I absolutely love this cover.  I love the overall blue color scheme that the designer decided to go with, as well as the faint traces of the background that you can see of the lake and the mountains which really creates the setting for the book.  Of course, I'm a big fan of the intricate detailing of the title with the addition of the feather which completes the cover.  Overall, I think that this is a pretty gorgeous cover that fits the the story.

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com
**Review copy borrowed from library.

Book Truth (4)

What do you love about books?

Cleo :)

Review: Requiem

Title: Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver
Date Released: March 5th, 2013
Pages: 391
Rating: 4 out of 5

Description:
They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.
But we are still here.
And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

Review:
I don't even know what to say!  It's sad having to finish a series that was so good and so captivating throughout all three books.  Requiem definitely carried on the amazing-ness of Delirium and Pandemonium and I'm so sad that there won't be anymore books about Lena's world :(

Requiem pretty much follows Pandemonium, especially after that killer cliffhanger that left me wanting more.  This time, the chapters alternate between Lena and Hana, with Lena in the dangerous Wilds as an Invalid and Hana, who has been cured, in Portland where the Resistance keeps growing.  The whole story kept me intrigued and wanting to know what could possibly happen next to Lena and her group and Hana and Portland.

When you put the Delirium Lena side by side with the Requiem Lena, you see how much she has developed into a completely different person.  She has become stronger, more aware, and even a bit cold at times, but I guess living in the Wild just transforms a person.  I didn't read the novella Hana, but from reading Requiem, I think I kind of got the gist of what probably happened.  Hana changed to since we last saw her in Delirium, but she's different from the other ones that have been cured.  Obviously I'm not a big fan of any cured person, but Hana changes throughout the course of the novel and becomes a little more open and aware of what's going on and how the system actually is kind of corrupt in a way, and I liked her more for that.

The ending was a bit open ended, when considering the actual rebellion that the whole entire series was building up to, and I could see why people were upset with the ending.  But overall, I think that Lauren Oliver did give her fans one thing that they wanted to know, which was who Lena would end up with, because that was what was pretty much killing me throughout the book.

This might be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't read the first two books yet, but I just had to address this.  So, the love triangle (I know) was a bit crazy in this book.  I wanted to know so badly who she would end up with, but it was kind of painful actually reading about it because you could see that she favored one more than the other and it just sort of broke my heart because the other one was still kind of vulnerable, but I was rooting for who she *vaguely* ended up with anyways :)

Overall, Requiem was a great follow up to Delirium and Pandemonium.  While it did leave some things open ended, you could only hope for the best, if you're an optimist like me anyways.  It's not going to have The Hunger Games ending where you know Lena's future, but I liked it nevertheless, although my sister disagrees with me.  I love Lauren Oliver's writing so I can't wait to see what she has next.  I'll probably have to start reading her middle grade stories until her next novel comes out and the TV show will have to suffice :)

Cover Review:
I'm still stuck on the fact that they changed the whole cover concept with Delirium and I always wonder what the covers for Pandemonium  and Requiem would have looked like.  Nevertheless, I do like this cover.  It doesn't quite fit the story because it just seems too peaceful for such a action-filled book, but I do like the flowers though and the overall dark color scheme.  It's a very eye-catching cover.

Cleo :)

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

Cover Crush (11): Siege and Storm

Cover Crush is a feature here at Booklopedia that features covers that I currently have a crush on. I know that there are multiple features out in the blogging world that feature covers, but I thought that it would be nice for Booklopedia to feature something, especially something that I absolutely love about covers, even though they always say, "You should never judge a book by its cover."

Today, I'm in love with the cover for Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo!

Darkness never dies. 

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long. 

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

I absolutely love the design for the cover of Siege and Storm. The intricate detailing of the castle, the waves, and the sky are really cool, as is the detailing of the title with the dragon coming off of the S. I think it's also pretty cool how the center is all lit up with the red of the castle and the light gray clouds in comparison to the darker edges of the cover.  We also don't see many completely graphic designed covers so it's also really cool how the designers went this route.  I don't think that anything else could have captured the story any better.

What do you think of the cover?

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com

Starstruck: Cassandra Clare

When I found out that Cassandra Clare was going to be at The Grove in Los Angeles, I HAD to go.  After missing her when she was in San Diego, I made sure that I got to see her the next time she came around.

I can't say that this event was a huge success because 1) There were a TON of people.  Probably because Lily Collins was there, and the book is turning into a movie 2) I had to wait outside, because either way, if I waited inside I wouldn't have been able to see her Q&A session since there were a ton of bookshelves in the way and 3) I didn't get a picture with her, or of her, because the event was super controlled.  So, I was a little bummed, but it was still pretty fun because I brought one of my friends with me and we just roamed around The Grove looking for food :)

I will say though that I had a super starstruck moment.  Cassandra Clare asked me what my favorite character was when she was signing my book and I was all like "Favorite character?" like I didn't understand her.  Then I finally got to my senses and told her that it's too hard to choose and she agreed with me.  It was pretty embarrassing though.

Me & my friend in front of the tour poster.

I'm hoping that when she's back for the L.A. Times Festival of Books, I'll be able to get a picture with her.  It'll probably be the same turn out since this event is much more open to the public (not to mention it's free), but I will keep trying until I do!

Cleo :)

Waiting on Wednesday (46): Isla and the Happily Ever After

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature, 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...

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever. 

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

I love, love, LOVE Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door.  They quickly made Stephanie Perkins one of my favorite authors because they're funny and the boys just make me wish that I could be Anna or Lola.  So, obviously I'm super duper excited for Isla and the Happily Ever After.  Now that the cover has finally been revealed, I thought it was only reasonable to make it this weeks Waiting on Wednesday :)  Look for this on shelves on September 17th!

What are you waiting for today?

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com

Review: Falling in Love with English Boys

Title: Falling in Love with English Boys
Author: Melissa Jensen
Date Released: December 23rd, 2010
Pages: 293
Rating: 3 out of 5

Description:
Sixteen-year-old Catherine Vernon has been stranded in London for the summer-no friends, no ex-boyfriend Adam the Scum (good riddance!), and absolutely nothing to do but blog about her misery to her friends back home. Desperate for something-anything-to do in London while her (s)mother's off researching boring historical things, Cat starts reading the 1815 diary of Katherine Percival her mom gives her-and finds the similarities between their lives to be oddly close. But where Katherine has the whirls of the society, the parties and the gossip over who is engaged to who, Cat's only got some really excellent English chocolate. Then she meets William Percival-the uber-hot descendant of Katherine-and things start looking up . . .

Review:
I picked up Falling in Love with English Boys because I was in search of a contemporary romance based in England or France, or just any romantic place in the world really, and my school library happened to have just received it.  So, I was excited to delve into it and into the romantic lives of Catherine and Katherine, both separated by two centuries but both had their romantic troubles.

Pretty much, Catherine (aka Cat) has been sent off to London with her mother, when she would rather be back home or in France in search of Orlando Bloom.  During her stay, her mother, who is doing research at the British Museum, gives Cat a journal written by the daughter, Katherine Percival, of Cat's mom's research subject.  From there, readers not only learn about Cat, but the other Kat as well.

The whole entire book is written between alternating blog entries and diary entries.  Essentially, we learn about their love lives.  Cat currently lacks one since she broke up with "Adam the Scum" and was hoping that being somewhere else other than England would help her get one back, while Katherine is starting to go into the courting process and believes that she has found the perfect husband in a poet, but is that the one who's really been sending her all the poems?  This all created a lot of interest in the book because, of course, I needed to find out who Katherine would end up with and what would happen between Cat and William.

I will say that I found both stories rather okay.  Cat as a character was a bit annoying.  She was more on the whiny side, always talking about how it wasn't fun in England.  In my opinion, she just wasn't really embracing the experience.  But, she opened up when she met William because who can resist a hot, wealthy British college student?  She also jumped to conclusions way to quickly.  Katherine wasn't as annoying as Cat, but she was almost there. Her story was interesting, but it didn't hold my attention.  It did get a lot more interesting though when the mystery poems started arriving.

Overall, Falling in Love with English Boys was able to satiate my need for a contemporary romance.  The suspense in who Katherine would end up with, as well as the budding romance between Cat and William just really kept me going.  However, I wasn't the biggest fan of the protagonists.  I just didn't find them particularly likable.  If you are looking for a romance novel though, then look no further!

Cover Review:
I like how they brought in elements of England, with the double decker bus and Big Ben.  I think the whole image of the girl with her foot up and the guy adds a cute touch to the cover.  The font that they used for the title adds a contemporary cuteness to it as well.  If you look at the back cover, it has Katherine doing the exact same thing which also adds to the overall cuteness factor of the cover.

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com
**Review copy borrowed from my school library.

A Book Truth (3)

Source

Where do you like to read?

Personally, my bed is my reading space.  

I can lie down on it, sit on it, prop up a pillow for comfort, 

or curl up with my dog and read on it.  

It's a very versatile reading place.

Cover Crush (9): Since You Asked

Cover Crush is a feature here at Booklopedia that features covers that I currently have a crush on. I know that there are multiple features out in the blogging world that feature covers, but I thought that it would be nice for Booklopedia to feature something, especially something that I absolutely love about covers, even though they always say, "You should never judge a book by its cover."

Today, I really like the cover for Since You Asked by Maurene Goo!

No, no one asked, but Holly Kim will tell you what she thinks anyway.

Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim is the copy editor for her high school's newspaper. When she accidentally submits an article that rips everyone to shreds, she gets her own column and rants her way through the school year. Can she survive homecoming, mean-girl cliques, jocks, secret admirers, Valentine's Day, and other high school embarrassments, all while struggling to balance her family's traditional Korean values?

In this hilariously funny debut, SINCE YOU ASKED... takes a fresh look at trying to fit in without conforming to what's considered "normal" in high school, and managing parental expectations without losing one's individuality (or being driven insane).

The one thing that attracted me to the cover was the bright pink that just pops out.  I also love the font for the title and its colorfulness, from the light blue to the bright pink and the neon green.  What adds even more character to the cover is the spunk that the model displays on the cover.  Haha I love her facial expression!! It gives the cover, and the overall story, a spunky attitude that I'm sure will make it a fun read.  It's also about a Korean American teenager, so I think it'd be cool to see how much I can relate to her being half Korean :)

What do you think of the cover for Since You Asked?

Cleo :)

*Description from here and cover from goodreads.com

Review: Unravel Me

Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Date Released: February 5, 2013
Pages: 461
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Description:
tick
tick
tick
tick
tick

it's almost

time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Review:
I did read Shatter Me; I just never got around to writing up a review for it. In short, I liked it.  On the other hand,  I loved Unravel Me.  It had much more intensity and more things were coming together.  I felt that the first book was too much of an introduction to the Juliette's world, even though it is the first book and that makes sense for the first book in a series, I just felt that there was something lacking in Shatter Me; it just didn't draw me into Juliette's world.  But Unravel Me had it all.

Juliette has now found refuge with Adam at Omega Point - a place where people like her live; people with powers that maybe lethal or helpful.  However, Warner is still on the look out for her and Castle is ready to do whatever it takes to protect his people, even it means trying to go against the huge army of The Reestablishment.

The intensity of Unravel Me was raised up a thousand notches.  I loved all the twist and turns, when plans didn't work out and when victories were made.  Mafi was able to make the story super intriguing, adding major surprises along with fight scenes and intense encounters that definitely kept me reading.

One thing that I wasn't the biggest fan of in Shatter Me and for a bit of Unravel Me was Juliette.  She seemed like a nice person who was just scared.  But sometimes, she does mope around a lot as if she is the only person going through the situation that she's going through when in reality, the people around her have it worse as well.  Kenji, one of my favorite, funny characters, was the one who sort of gave her the wake-up call that she needed to change her attitude.  She got progressively better throughout Unravel Me, and I hope that in the next book she'll have a different attitude that's less mopey.  And maybe a little more decisive because...

UGH!  The love triangle!  Don't even get me started on that.  Unravel Me had me torn between who Juliette should be with - Adam or Warner?  That is the question.  One of the biggest surprises was Warner's change in character, which I guess anyone could see coming, but still, it was a pretty deep change.  He became vulnerable and weaker in Unravel Me in comparison to the cruel man he was in Shatter Me.  But Adam... Adam is still the kind man he was in Shatter Me, always taking care of Juliette and his little brother.  He doesn't have a single mean streak, unless it comes to Warner.

Overall, Unravel Me was a great follow up to Shatter Me.  Mafi's writing is wonderful and the words just flow out and almost seem like poetry.  Through her writing, you really understand the strong emotions that Juliette's feeling.  Unravel Me was also a lot more of a roller coaster ride with more character development in Juliette.  The love triangle was also escalated to the next level with the twists and turns that Mafi kept adding into the story.  I loved this one and definitely cannot wait until the last one comes out next year!

Cover Review:
I will admit that I was kind of bummed that they changed the cover concept.  But, now I realize that I actually like this one A LOT more.  Sure it doesn't fit my Shatter Me copy, but I love the intricate detail coming from the eye and the overall light blue color scheme mixed with a bit of pink.  It really catches your eye, even though the eye is a bit creepy.

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com
**Review copy won in a giveaway hosted by Pitch Dark.

Review: Just One Day

Title: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Date Released: January 8th, 2013
Pages: 368
Rating: 4 out of 5

Description:
A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Review:
Just One Day is a sort of romance novel, but it goes a bit deeper than that which sets it apart from other young adult romance/contemporary novels.  It also isn't fully about a romantic relationship, but also covers the life of Allyson as she tries to recover after the aftermath of something rather traumatic.  Essentially, the story doesn't cover one day, but a whole year.  However, it's the one "whirlwind" day that Allyson spends with Willem in Paris that is the focal point of the story.

The relationship between Allyson and Willem sort of seemed like a "love at first sight" type of deal; Allyson catches the eye of Willem and then the next day when they formally meet on a train, he whisks her off to Paris so that she can explore the city.  They both form this bond where they like each other.  It's obvious, but Allyson tries to suppress it because she did just meet this stranger who seems to have a lot of random lady friends in Paris.  However, their feelings for each other all come out by the end of the day.

I really liked Just One Day; it was more than just romance, going into the depression that Allyson seems to face after that one day.  But of course, the romance was what really got me into reading the book and finding out what exactly happened to Willem and why he didn't come back really kept me going because, while Allyson's situation was really sad, it was a bit much after a while until she has that reawakening and decides to find him.

The ending ended on a total cliffhanger and left me WANTING the next book.  The edition I had nicely left a little snippet of the next book, which is from Willem's point of view, but of course, it just simply isn't the same as reading a whole book.

Overall, Just One Day was the perfect romance combined with a more contemporary approach.  It wasn't the light and bubbly Anna and the French Kiss, but was a bit darker and depressing once you realized Allyson's transformation after the day with Willem.  I definitely can't wait for Just One Year which comes out this October to see what happens between Willem and Allyson!

Cover Review:
I'm not a HUGE fan of this cover, but I do like it and it does reflect the book pretty well.  You can see the European architecture reflected in the window and the busy cafe behind Allyson.  So it does fit the book, however I find it just a bit plain.  However, I do like the sort of pastel colors of the cover.  Overall, it's a nice cover, but it just doesn't really stand out that much.

Cleo :)

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

A Book Truth (2)

Source

Cover Discovery: Just One Year

Today, I was going through my Facebook newsfeed and spotted this cover that was revealed on USA Today:

Source

Whaat??  You don't even know how excited I am for Just One Year!  

I haven't exactly reviewed Just One Day yet, but I will say that it was a pretty good book.

It had the right setting (what's more romantic than Paris?  It might be a bit overplayed now, but still.)

It had the right mysterious boy (who happened to be Dutch)

And it had a great, bittersweet story.

Oh, it also had some romance, and being a sucker for romance, I really liked it :)

USA Today also posted an excerpt of Just One Year; so, if you're interested in it, then you can read it here.

Look for this cover on shelves in October of this year!

Cleo :)

Waiting on Wednesday (45): Towering

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature, 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...

Towering by Alex Flinn

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.
Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her. 

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now. 

A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next!

I cannot wait for Towering!  I've always really liked Alex Flinn's modern re-tellings of fairy tales that we've grown up listening to and reading about.  This one sounds super cool though because this time it's Rapunzel's turn to get her modern twist!

What are you waiting for today?

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com

Cover Crush (8): The Chaos of Stars

Cover Crush is a feature here at Booklopedia that features covers that I currently have a crush on. I know that there are multiple features out in the blogging world that feature covers, but I thought that it would be nice for Booklopedia to feature something, especially something that I absolutely love about covers, even though they always say, "You should never judge a book by its cover."

Today, I'm absolutely infatuated with the cover The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White!

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up. 

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal. 

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all. 

The thing that really caught my eye was the intricate gold detail on this cover.  It definitely has that sort of Egyptian feel.  The galaxy background really contrasts with the gold details on the cover to make them stand out to anyone who sees it.  The little tendrils coming off of the letters in the title and author's name add a cool touch to the cover as well.  The one thing about this cover though is that I find it rather similar to the cover for For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.  Nevertheless, the cover is really beautiful, especially with all the gold detailing.

What do you think about this cover?

Cleo :)

*Description and cover from goodreads.com