Spring Fling Giveaway

FIRST OF ALL. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ERIKA. EVEN THOUGH SHE WON'T READ THIS POST. BUT STILL. She should totally read more books, but you know, whatever.

Oh. This starts on May guys. Sorry for exciting you too early. Also, no WoW tomorrow since I want this to be the top post and blah. Also, my laziness. Hey, I only have so much time!

About time I had another one of these suckers. Not to mention, I have a two month goal thing for school that I have to accomplish by the end of April and mine was to reach 1000 followers. What? I'm horrible at goals!

You can win a book from the list and please please please read the Terms at the bottom. Also, don't cheat. I will find you and hunt you down. (I'm kidding. Probably)

HERE IS THE LIST OF WHAT YOU CAN WIN. Most are ARCs. Some are not. Heehee.

List
Unremembered by Jessica Brody
Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Nameless by Lili St. Crow
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (ARC)
The Innocents by Lili Peloquin
Through to You by Emily Hainsworth (ARC)
Crewel by Gennifer Albin (ARC)
Natural Born Angel by Scott Speer (ARC)
Lullaby by Amanda Hocking (SIGNED)
Every Day by David Leviathin
Lost Code by Kevin Emerson
Fated by Alyson Noel
Mystic by Alyson Noel
The Last Academy by Anne Applegate
Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt (ARC)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also
http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2013/04/teen-book-con-recap-and-giveaway.html

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE. FOR A COST OF $19.99 + shipping...
No, just kidding. I don't know. I'm in a weird mood. Must be Spring and allergies.
Check out more giveaways here!

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Goodreads Blurb

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret
Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.
Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.
But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

I was in a book slump for DAYS before I read this. I mean, I read great books, I did! But I felt detached from every single one and I wasn't as hooked as I usually am with books that had that level of action-packed. So it was pretty ironic that what broke it was a contemporary book that was more emotion than action!

"Hate is...too easy," he says.

And this was emotional. Whether you became angry with her, then sympathizing, then wanting to cry, you feel so much emotion and isn't any emotion better than devoid of any? But I've gone through a range of emotions reading this book and the internal turmoil hasn't stopped. Everything was jump started by one little slip of a drunk tongue, and all for the better. Chelsea finally knows who she is without Kristen and her label, what love is, and she finds friends who finally accept her for her. We get to experience all of that in a way that just...touches you. (Do I use that phrase a lot?)

(..) like he's so completely sure of what he's saying.

Leading us to characters. This has possibly the most dynamic character I've ever read. In the beginning I could barely stand Chelsea--she's one of those cliche popular mean girls, BFF with the Queen Bee and the biggest minion of them all. She couldn't see how she was just being used and I was so frustrated with her. But over the course of the book, she changes dramatically into a relatable character who we can understand. And even when Chelsea regretted her choice of doing the right thing, I understood her. Doing what's right is never easy, but she did it anyways. No one can blame her for having her doubts. And that's when I was sold. 

I've been dying to get my hands on Saving June for a year now, and I'm definitely getting it now that I've seen a bit of Harrington's work! Her characters are just so heartfelt and so real.

Love.

And the writing is one I can easily relate with. This is the voice of a real teenager, in all honesty--I don't know about the rest of you, but I definitely think like this at times! The voice of this story is just wonderful, and what's even more wonderful is how this story is told. 

This book is stunning in it's subtle way, exactly as it should be. And I definitely hope I read more books like this--a bit dramatic, a bit emotional, and a bit beautiful.

Love takes courage.

Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

Hey guys! Nothing much besides a few library books, so no pictures either--for the sake of my laziness. I'm sorry! I've been feeling under the weather lately though and sort of want to gorge myself on chocolate.

OH. Also, from now on I shall leave a comment for a comment since I have more time lately.

Library
Legend by Marie Lu
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Can't wait to read these! They've been on my TBR since forever, and i\I seriously can't believe it's taken me so long! Legend is apparently very BLOW MY MIND and I loved Snyder's Study series! Not so much her Glass series though...

I HAVE A GIVEAWAY FOR Y'ALL HERE!

Teen Book Con Recap and Pics!
The End Games by T. Michael Martin
Waiting on Wednesday
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

Goodreads Blurb

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.
Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.
Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

Jumping straight in, the one issue I really had with City of a Thousand Dolls was Nisha. She was just so annoying and naive in my opinion. She thought she knew everything about the City and acted like such a know it all! And, even though I could understand why, it was annoying when she couldn't forgive herself for something someone had done to herself. She was too impulsive for my liking and I felt myself groaning in frustration so many times. She was so...hmm...
On the other hand I loved how she could talk to the cats and how much they seemed to adore her. It definitely made for some interesting conversations. I also looovvveeddd Jerrit. I want a catty best friend. Literally.

"There is more than one kind of secret, Nisha"

The worldbuilding in this was simply amazing and I loved finding out more about the City, the Redeeming, and the Houses. It was done so neatly and I loved how much Asian culture was included! I was excited to discover what lay beyond the gates and what happened to Nisha's parents all those years ago. The City was a fascinating place that was filled with contradictions--that "Beauty is serious business" and that worship of beauty is dumb, that women should be able to be free to do what they want, yet trapped into a marriage or apprenticeship, and so much more.

"There is the secret that no one may know, the kind one kills to protect."

I loved the plot twists. While I could see the major one coming (it was a bit obvious, if you've read most YA), it still left me in a breathless feeling, the way it was executed. There was barely any hesitation, and doubt, and that definitely made me like Nisha a little more. The other twists? I couldn't see them a mile away.  They were so unexpected, yet so perfect for this book. This was truly a thrilling read that was pretty impossible to put down!

"And then there is the secret that everyone may know, but no one will admit to knowing."

The romance is something...I can't quite discuss. But let's just say, I'm happy with the way it ended.

While I've heard some complains (and a few squeals) about another female assassin book, let me say this: this isn't really about an assassin (unless you count the one killing the girls). It's more of a book about trying to find out who you are, where you came from, and how much your freedom is worth to yourself. The idea of a City of girls is definitely original and most of the plot is too, so I had nothing to complain about here except that City of a Thousand Dolls? Way too short for my liking!

"Then there is the secret that everyone knows, except the person the secret is about."

A fantastic read that brought you to it's fantasy world with vibrant descriptions and scenes, City of a Thousand Dolls is definitely one I'd recommend to all epic fantasy readers and lovers and to paranormal readers ready to try something new! It's an amazing debut and I'll be here, eagerly anticipating the sequel, and wondering what house I'd belong to. Currently stuck between House of Jade or Combat.

"There are more secrets in the City than you could possibly know about. Which ones do you really care about?

Pages: 361
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: City of a Thousand Dolls #1
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: Feb 5, 2013
Rating: 4.5--> 4 stars

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Goodreads Blurb

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

I think we all know this book, after all, didn't we all fall in love with Daughter of Smoke and Bone? But, shockingly, I've been hearing some doubt about this sequel. (You guys are crazy. And that's coming from me.) So, here I am, ready to clear all of those delusions doubts.

So, first thing first, I was so confused throughout about 40% of the book. I had no idea what was a flashback in time, what was a reference to Karou's life as Madrigal, what in the world was happening sometimes, what had happened, and who some of these characters were. Of course, that last part may have something to do with the fact that I completely forgot what happened in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but, you know. The wonderful thing about Days of Blood and Starlight (I'm just calling it Days.) is that you can quickly grasp the plot threads. 

I'm sure I don't have to go over how absolutely stunning the writing is. It's just gorgeous and lush and I can go on and on, but I'll spare you all the time it'd take. But for you people who haven't read Daughter? It will not disappoint you. 

The characters are just so incredibly well written and I bet I don't even have to explain how in depth they are. I loved each of their quirks, how even though a move seemed unpredictable, you somehow knew it was going to happen sooner or later. We just get to know characters more and more that we end up feeling as if they could be our next best friends! (Totally joking of course. I, personally, don't want a blood thirsty angel as a friend. Or an enemy.) 

The imagination used for this book is just crazy! I can't believe how vivid some of these descriptions are and I just love how detailed they are. It's amazing how much creativity was channeled into this 500 page thing! 

The plot was, well, a bit slow in the beginning. I was pretty bored and I just wanted so kickbutt scenes to come into play and I got it about 100 pages in! That's still 400+ pages of goodness, people. It's worth it. There were so many epic battle scenes and reunions and I loved anticipating what would happen next. Crazy things happen, unexpected events occur, and basically, Days will blow your mind!

Pages: 528

Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2

Genre: High Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Rating: 3.5--->4 stars

Waiting on Wednesday

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

I'm just going to say, I absolutely LOVE the colors on the cover and the overlay pictures! And, come on, INVISIBLE GIRL. That's pretty awesome, if I say so myself. Plus it definitely sounds action packed. The synopsis actually gives away very little, and I'm a very curious person. ;)

The End Games by T. Michael Martin

Goodreads Blurb

It happened on Halloween.

The world ended.

And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia, armed with only their rifle and their love for each other, the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

T. Michael Martin’s debut novel is a transcendent thriller filled with electrifying action, searing emotional insight, and unexpected romance.

The End Games was...completely unexpected. It was such a hopeless, bleak kind of book and really, really depressing. No matter what they did, it felt like Michael and Patrick would be running forever, and never really live without fear. 

Actually, I think depressing was sort of an understatement.

The plot and the writing were two of the top things for me (that, and the sort of twist on the zombie apocalypse.) Right from the beginning of the bat, we learn two things. A) just how dangerous the world is, and just how desolate it is now, and B) things are already changing and getting creepier. Their were so many action scenes and so many twists that had me gasping and stunned. And, waning, a lot of deaths. 

I rarely talk about voice in my reviews, but it was like you were in Michael's mind, not just as a narrator! The way the story was told is phenomenal and the writing was superb (I love that word.) You could just feel Michael's nervousness, his fear throughout the entire book.

The characters, though, were not my favorite. I'd say they annoyed me, but I mainly felt a bit impartial to them. If one died, I honestly didn't care. They weren't relatable to me, though they might be to some, and I got so irritated by all the lying. I mean, I could understand. The world pretty much ended, after all. But Michael kept lying all to raise hope, knowing it wouldn't last. It was horrible of him and I wanted to sock him in the face. 

And onto the zombies (I found it funny that people didn't call them Zombies. They did live in this century, but no one thought to call them zombies?). I loved discovering about the disease that brought them back to life, it's origin, and it's purpose. There was a lot of thought out into this worldbuilding and it was fascinating.

The End Games is a game of survival, and the rules are being broken. With twists or attacks around every corner, there's almost no one to trust, but all the more reason to take a chance. The ending was perfect for the book! I just wish we could've seen an epilogue!

Pages: 384

Genre: Post apocalyptic

Series: Standalone

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Rating: 3.5-->4 stars

Teen Book Con Recap (and Giveaway!)

OMG SATURDAY WAS AMAZING. SO this will be very long and very detailed. (Pics at the end)

and

I

have

a

giveaway

for you

at

the

end

You walk into the place and this is pretty much the first thing you see. A humongous line and...walls. I'm so descriptive. You basically wandered around for an hour, buying books, exploring, etc. At 10, all of us Teen Book Con-ers went to the auditorium where we saw the authors go on stage. AND A.G. HOWARDS PASSED RIGHT BY MY SEAT but I was way too shy to say hello. I then took stalker photos.

Chris Crutcher then took the stage and gave the Keynote speech. And it. Was. Hilarious. Here are my two favorite parts:
"My dad told me to save my allowance for bail money" (something like that)
The book that got him reading was To Kill a Mockingbird and he felt as though the main character was talking to him only (then he saw over 6 million copies sold and obviously it was cheating on him. But of course he didn't care.)

AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR THE FIRST PANEL. The first panel I went to was Take Me Away which had A.G. Howard, Shannon Messenger, Lenore Appelhans, Tera Lynn Childs, Stacey Kade, and Sophie Jordan! They were a HILARIOUS group! They talked plotting, titles, covers, and gave writing tips. My favorite came from Lenore! "If all else fails, blow things up." They also admitted that authors were evil. THANK YOU. I asked "If you have a love triangle, and you HAD to choose, who would you pick?" but by then time ran out. But NEXT ANITA, YOU SHALL PICK MOTH. Oh, also. Two main questions an author should ask him/herself. What if? and What's the worst that can happen right now to my character?

Lunch. I was lonely, awkward, and probably looked like a creeper. Oh, don't mind me, I'll just go into all the rooms and come out the same time as you.

Yeah.

So anyways. Next panel? Addicted to Love! With Jennifer E. Smith, Tamara Ireland Stone, Justina Chen, Stacey Jay, and Mary Lindsey, they definitely named the panel accordingly! What did we find out? That MAry Lindsey was locked in a locker (by her own doing) in a game of hide and seek. They talked about characters and the relationships between their characters and gave more writing tips! Read as much as you can, observe people (in a non-stalker-kind-of-stalkery way!), and be inspired by everything, good and bad.

And then? Making the Best of it with Chris Crutcher, Jen Calonita, Kay Honeyman, Amy McNamara, Lauren Morrill, and Francisco X. Stork. The first question was actually pretty funny. For Stork, "Was it hard writing from a girl's POV?" Cue awkward silence for about 1 seconds! He then said that writing from an autism boy's head was easier. Girls are so complicated, aren't we? WE TALKED INSPIRATIONS! And then the "What if" question popped up! Amy Mcnamara says that she writes contemporary to "teach herself." and Kay Honeyman says that "Books are a good place to confront dangerous, but real things that can potentially happen" (or something like that). Chris Crutcher said "Write what you can imagine, and how far you can take yourself out there" and "A story is a great place to find a witness" or someone who shares your thoughts and experiences, etc.

And then. My favorite panel. Of. All. Times. They (Dan Krokos, Bethany Frenette, Claudia Gray, Leigh Bardugo, Jessica Brody, and Lisa McMann) were BEYOND hilarious. Seriously. I was laughing pretty much the ENTIRE time. Dan Krokos was definitely the MOST HILARIOUS. And I loved Jessica Brody's joke in the intro! "The first book is Unremembered, the second is Unforgotten, and the third is Untitled because it's Unwritten." LOVED. SO MUCH. I was laughing so much, I forgot to take notes. Whoops! But we've determined that Bethany is in love with ducks. Very in love.

ENDING SPEECH. I FORGOT EVERYTHING. Sharon Draper basically just read to us, really.

And then. The signings. LOVED seeing all the wonderful authors! And I may have nudged them and told them who I was! Amy Mcnamara, Lenore Appelhans, Shannon Messenger, and Anita remembered me! SO YAY! (After I, you know, gave them a nudge)

I also took pictures. And stole (not really) some swag.
This is everything I got


















And this, is everything you can get















(The rolled up thing is a poster of Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes! On the back is the cover for th sequel, Rebel Spring. All are signed except the stickers [I think]

Giveaway
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Staler Photo #1

Stalker Photo #2

Stalker Photo #3

Keynote speech

There was also this. DRESS UP THE FAMOUS CHARACTERS

4/6 of the authors on Take Me Away (Panel #1 for me)

All authors except Anita.

Addicted to Love panel!

Making the Best of it panel

Power of Memory panel! HILARITY ALL AROUND

A signing line. There were many. MANY. And
Anita had pretty much the longest line
(throughout the entire signing!)

A book buying stack.

ANOTHER BOOK BUYING STACK

Me and Claudia Gray

Me and Lauren Morrill

Me and Stacey Kade

Me and Bethany Frenette

Me and Leigh Bardugo (ACK!)

Me and Lisa McMann

Me and Lauren Morrill

Me and Claudia Gray

Me and Tera Lynn Childs

Me and Lenore Appelhans!

OMG YOU GUYS. IT'S ME
AND ANITA/A.G. HOWARD

Me and Michelle Rowan

Me and Amy McNamara

Me and Shannon Messen-
ger! EEEEP!

Me and Tamara Ireland Stone

Me and Jennifer E. Smith

Me and Mary Lindsey (!!)

Me an Dan Krokos

Me and Sophie Jordan