Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.And then he opened his mouth.Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. The hot alien living next door marks me.You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

 If I don't kill him first, that is.

(Synopsis and Cover Photo provided by Goodreads)

4/5 STARS

What causes Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout to glow bright is the writing and characters that comprise it.

When I read this book I became empowered by the addicting and cohesive writing. I definitely want to read Onyx, Obsidian’s sequel, to see more of Armentrout’s amazing writing!

The main characters Katy, Daemon and Dee were very easy to connect to and care about.

I really liked Katy’s bravery, remarks on her book blogging life and her stubbornness. I also found it cool to learn that she also has light brown hair.

I really enjoyed how Katy stood up for herself. After months of disqust and coldness, sprinked with rare moments of lust, from Daemon, Daemon expects Katy to listen to his demand to not go to a dance with a boy he dislikes. I laughed as Katy replied, “Oh yeah, because Simon’s going to leave a trace on me that attracts killer cows instead of killer aliens.” (Artmentrout 288)

I liked how Daemon steadily grew in to a likable character as the story when along. In the beginning of Obsidian, Daemon acted mean and arrogant. Then, as the story went along, he revealed his good characteristics. I like how he is a flawed character who's attitude developed  throughout the story. While, I may not be think he is the most amazing character ever, I grew to care for him and enjoy his wit. I loved it when he told Katy a wise truth about beauty, "I always found that the most beautiful people, truely beautiful, inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect.” (Armentrout 66)

Dee was so bubbly and sweet in Obsidian. She is the perfect friend and I enjoyed how she, unlike the rest of her alien family, was brave enough to be friends with humans and did not feel humans were inferior. I admire her way to brighten up everyone’s mood.

I feel that the minor characters, such as Adam, Ash and Lesa, were intriguing but not amazing. I saw sparks of moments where I started to feel connection to one of them- Adam! My favorite line of the whole book was  “It’s courageous,” Adam said quietly, staring at the throw rug. “It is what any of us would’ve done.” (Armentrout 276)

The above quote lights up fireworks in my mind.

The strong connotation of “courageous”, the break for humility and how it reveals Adam respects bravery are all reasons I love this quote. It caused me to look forward to future books in the series to see Adam cause more amazing moments in my reading of this story.

The plot may take a while for the action edge of the story to happen, but I found the mundane moments enjoyable to read. Katy’s summer vacation to be exciting as she became friends with Dee and has casual conversations with Daemon. I liked how the story was introduced first, instead of rushing to the action and to Katy finding out the truth. Katy was wonderful at figuring out that Dee and Daemon were not as normal. I found Katy’s daily life at school exciting as she adjusted to a new school. 

My favorite event of the story was an incredible night that I feel everyone should read. This section of the novel is addicting, enjoyable, has many incredible lines and brave actions. Its a dance that coincides with a brilliant bonfire scene that leads to an awesome fight turned incredible night. 

What makes this book not amazing to me though, is that it seemed too redundant sometimes and I felt the action were a bit rushed. I found myself uninterested in the action scenes and after awhile Katy’s and Daemon’s bantering was sadly a bit tiresome. I enjoyed their relationship more when Katy and Daemon starting having normal conversations without constant defensive remarks. I wish the attitudes Katy and Daemon had during the night after the dance ended could have remained the whole story.

Overall, I believe that you should read Obsidian if you enjoy fantastic character development and exquisite writing!

I am excited to read Onyx this summer to read a hopefully even better story!

Thanks for reading!

Teaser Tuesday 1!

Hi Everyone!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• 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!

In two weeks a book I re-read last night will finally come out for everyone else to enjoy! Today I decided to share a funny line from my favorite chapter in the book. The following quote is thought by a girl with a bright aura about a hilarious man with bright emerald eyes.

"Some of his pieces were quite good. Others-especially when he'd been drinking-looked like he'd accidentally spilled paint on canvas." - 
page 148 of The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead 
(ARC Proof so quote is not final)

Blogspiration 9!

Hi everyone!

Blogspiration is a weekly meme hosted by GrowingUp YA & Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers & writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation & just a little SOMETHING.


This will be my first blogspiration where I introduce a beautiful quote brought to my attention by my wonderful sister. My sister knew immediately how much I would connect to this quote! Enjoy!

"Books can be possessive, can't they? You're walking around in a bookstore and a certain one will jump out at you, like it had moved there on its own, just to get your attention. Sometimes what's inside will change your life, but sometimes you don't even have to read it. Sometimes it's a comfort just to have a book around. Many of these books haven't even had their spines cracked. 'Why do you buy books you don't even read?' our daughter asks us. That's like asking someone who lives alone why they bought a cat. For company, of course." --- Sarah Addison Allen, "The Sugar Queen"


I like this quote because it reminds me of how the most important thing in the world is to be near what and who you love.

What's your blogspiration this week? 

Thanks for reading!

Redheads Are Soulless By Heather M. White Blog Tour

Hi Everyone!

YAY! It is finally the release day of Redheads Are Soulless by Heather M. White!

Everyone should check it out!

I am so happy to take part in the Blog Tour for this new paranormal Young Adult book! 

Source- E-gallery

Publication Date- May 25, 2012

Rating- 3.5/5

(Cover Photo provided by GoodReads)

I always was envious of redheads and the redhead in the book Redheads Are Soulless is definitely worth the emotion of jealousy. Sofia, the main character, is a redhead who can break objects with her mind. 

For the longest time, Sofia has been burden with the misfortune of a loner status and an alcoholic mother. Then, out of the blue, Jason comes along and starts showing interest in Sofia. Jason is the good twin that Sofia should love, but instead Sofia loves his evil brother Robbie.

Redheads Are Soulless is a decent book. It has moments of humor, an exciting relationship between a daughter and mother and has a male character that I could not help adoring and having heartfelt pity.

There were scenes were I could not stop laughing. Those scenes were mostly between Sofia and Robbie. They both have a sly and engaging wit. I especially cherished the event when they relaxed at an amusement park together.

I enjoyed how the relationship between Sofia and her mother evolved throughout the novel. I liked reading about their fights and bonding moments. I liked how their realistic estrangement was explored and evolved. I could feel Sofia’s mother’s pain from her husband’s death. I sympathized with Sofia’s desire to live a life independent from caring solely for her mother and never for herself.

I absolutely fell in love with Robbie. I cared for him the moment he entered the book. He is living an existence of regret for murdering Sofia’s father and is dying to make his past mistake right. I eagerly sympathized with this tragic hero trying to become a better person. I could see his love for Sofia grow and I understand fully his drive to make their relationship never happen.

I also love the shocking nature of the final revelation. I only saw it coming because a certain character appeared suspicious to my intuition.

I sadly found some parts of the book that I did not enjoy.

I do not mind love triangles where I care about all the characters in them, but I do mind love triangles where all the members are not up to par. I really wished I was able to feel compassion for Jason, but, till the end, I felt Jason character was a bit too flat and one-dimensional. I hope the Jason I met toward the end of the novel continues till the end of the series because the new Jason is also improved and more exciting. Though I already decided that Robbie and Sofia belong together.

I also found the plot not engaging at times and a bit redundant. I felt that so much more could have been added to make this book more memorable and unique. I disliked the slow beginning and the extraneous scenes.

I wished there were more side characters for me to meet. I always live for exciting secondary characters and was disappointed with the lack of them. I really which Sofia could have reached out more to the people at her school. She could have found a friend that would have helped her deal with her relationship with her mother and her dad's untimely death. I would have loved for an addition of that type of character. 

Overall, I found Redheads Are Soulless an exciting book that resonated slightly with me but not a book that I will remember fondly for the years to come.

I will definitely check the next book when it comes out!

Thanks for reading!

Letters From The Ledge by Lynda Meyers

(Cover Photo Provided by GoodReads)

Source- Thanks Lynda Meyers!

Rating- 4/5 SWEET STARS!

I am glad I gave this book a chance!


It brought me out of my comfort zone and into the wondrous world of New Adult fiction!

I decided to give this book a chance because I was interested in seeing how four lives would intersect. I also enjoyed the excerpts that Meyers provided online.

What I love most about this book is how each character is trying to figure out how to figuratively fly from their real life and into a place where they feel completely happy because they are with the people who truly love them. If a genie ever flew to me and asked me for my three wishes, I would definitely ask for the ability to fly. (the other two wishes would be for Adrian Ivaskov to be a real person and for a copy of Scandal by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur to fly directly into my hands that very second)

I enjoyed being able to find a remarkable story about belonging. Brendan, Sarah, Nate and Paige are each searching for love. Brendan and Paige are both trying to overcome past grave occurrences. Brendan is overcoming the suicide of a girl he loved named Tess and Paige is overcoming an event that happened three years prior that is surprising and elegantly revealed.

This novel may not be a page-turner that is easy to become enamored with, but it is a special story that will remain in my mind for the years to come. I loved how realistically each event occurred and how I came to admire each of the characters as the book went a long. I was surprised by the big reveals towards the end of the story and enjoyed learning how the characters dealt with changes.

This book diverges from the normal Young Adult market. For one, two of the main characters are adults. I felt that the adult characters, like Nate and Paige, were a wonderful addition to this incredible story of self-discovery. I found Paige and Nate to be a perfect couple to experience the ups and downs of life with. I love the scene when they are on a bridge in Switzerland together. I enjoyed seeing Nate relationship with Brendan grow. Nate was the perfect role model for Brendan.

Overall, Letters From The Ledge by Lynda Meyers 

is a marvelous and special story that I urge you to try!

To spark your interest some more, I have provided my favorite excerpt from the novel!

"Imagine if you will, a magical place, where the fog rolls in off the ocean each morning, covering everything in a fine, damp mist. Sometimes it's so thick in the valley you can't see five feet in front of you-kind of like smog, only clean. By afternoon it's been burned off by the sunshine, revealing these incredibly vibrant colors and animated textures, like the unveiling of a long awaited painting. The ocean rises up to meet the hills and the landscape practically breathes in time with the rhythm of the tides." (Meyers 20) 

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Waiting on Wednesday is a wonderful weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

Its the perfect way to discover new books to add to your To Be Read Pile!

This week I'm waiting on ...

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.

Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

The fuse is lit…


(Synopsis and Cover Photo Provided by GoodReads)

Why I'm eagerly waiting?

I really really loved the first book in the Elemental world! Brigid Kemmerer's storytelling was exciting in the first installment Storm so I am sure Spark will be just as amazing. 

Also, the synopsis sounds like a fun filled ride!

I wonder what Layne's secret will be...

Thanks for reading!

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer Review

Happy Friday Everyone! 

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.


The storm is coming . . .

Ever since I read Sarah at Saz101’s brilliant review of Storm by Brigid Kremmerer, I knew I wanted to read this book. I entered this book with high expectations and I was pleased (I jumped up and down) with how amazing the book turned out to be!

I was so happy and surprised when I found out that the author Brigid lives in my home state and the setting of this story is set in Maryland. I love how the descriptions of the suburban setting were just like my home. I liked learning about Michael's job as a landscaper because it reminded me of how important beautiful and cleaned yards are to my community. Reading the scene at a cold beach reminded me of hanging out with friends at some of the beaches close to home. It was awesome for me to be able to see myself in the story’s world.

This is one of the few books I loved where my favorite character played a minimum role. But when he marched on the page he left a bright mark! This character used to work for the police and is now successfully running arrogant antagonist Tyler and Seth off in a mad dash!

Casper is the cutest and most amazing dog that ever brought excitement to a book’s story. He is more than a dog; he is a warrior! He reminds me so much of my adorable laboradoodle Happy. Like Happy, Casper is very intelligent and friendly.  

The human characters were equally amazing and relatable. I love the close bond Michael, Chris, Gabriel and Nick shared. I laughed so much during their scenes when it was just the four of them. They were each individualistic and swoon-worthy. I liked how the younger three, Nick, Gabriel and Chris, realistically want to keep every worrisome event a secret from the oldest brother, Michael. I also loved how flawed and real each of the brothers acted! 


I am really glad Kemmerer decided to add Chris's point of view to the story. I found him a very intriguing character that I enjoyed having a chance to know. Becca was also a great heroine who was not all powerful but could mostly handle herself in tough situations. I really liked Becca's best friend Quinn because she reminded me of me. We are both very blunt and like to be direct. Her interactions with every character were priceless. I hope Quinn has more scene time in Spark!

In the end...

What I love most about Storm is that I am reading it to enjoy the ride, to enjoy the characters and to experience the characters’ awesome and exciting lives. I am not reading it just to find out every secret in every corner. I am reading it because I am completely enamored by its excitement. The only other story I felt this way about is The Ivy Series by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur. 

Who knew that a paranormal story could provide the same relief of enjoyment as a contemporary story?

 Storm is one of the most amazing, incredible and gifted debuts I have ever read! 

Read it now!


5/5 GOLDEN STARS! 

I did a discussion post yesterday on what element I would love to control. 

You can join the discussion here!

Thanks for reading!

Element Control: Discussion Post!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

I re-read an amazing book yesterday called Storm by Brigid Kemmerer! While I was walking home yesterday I was thinking about how amazing it would be to control one of the elements the Merrick Brothers can control.

So I decided to do my first discussion post today on ...

What element would you like to control? 

Earth, Air, Water, Fire or Spirit?

Surprisingly, although I am in love with a fictional character that is a spirit user (Adrian Ivashkov), the element I would love to control is air!

Although, in the book Storm, I feel the boy I love the most is Nick and he is the air user. I feel that he is the one, out of all the marvelous Merrick Brothers, that I would have the easiest time talking to and connecting with. 

When I walk outside I always love feeling the breeze in my hair and breathing in the fresh air. Air also could aid me in my dream to fly. I always wanted to jump into the air above and have it lift me up so I could drift off into a heavenly breeze with my feet separate from the hardness of the ground. 

What element would you like to control?

Pretty Amy Blog Tour Review and Interview!

Welcome to my first blog tour post!

 I have now officially been blogging for four months!

Before I read Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein I thought Amy and her best friends were going to be arrested because of a silly prank. I was really excited to find out what exact crazy prank was pulled. I created scenarios, in my mind, of some prank ideas. Would Amy, Lila and Cassie splatter food on the outside of Lila’s boyfriend Brian’s house? Or maybe they would steal the boys' cars.

Instead, Pretty Amy was a story of the effects of not only being arrested but recovering from ruining your life by sliding into the influence peer pressure to take drugs. Even more, Pretty Amy is a story of a girl completely devastated by her life and, is now, is striving to be happy. Amy thought she would be happy being the friend of the cool girls. But she is not.


I enjoyed reading through Amy’s story of self-discovery. I disliked feeling Amy’s depressed outlook of life for the most part of the novel but was amazed by how easily I was captured by Amy’s mood. I liked Amy as a character because she is a complex character with real feelings and problems. I enjoyed meeting the funny characters that Amy met too. From convenience store Conner who is happily married to the ditzy but well-meaning lawyer Dick Simon to Amy’s controlling mother, the characters all brought excitement to the story. I rejoiced in how individualistic each character turned out to be!


I feel that Pretty Amy is a very profound story that I admired and enjoyed. It’s the type of book that is best to read when you want a through-provoking contemporary novel. I probably would have liked Pretty Amy more if the plot was more fast-paced and exciting. There were some scenes that caused me to be eager to continue reading but there was times in the story where the plot appeared repetitive. I lost interest half-way through the novel, but, after a break, I was able to enjoy reading the book again.

Overall, Pretty Amy is a unique novel that I will remember in the years to come for its unique and inspirational take on a real teenager girl's feelings. This book has inspired me to be proud of my past mistakes and look forward to the future.

3.5/5 Stars


Cover:

I was first introduced to Pretty Amy by its cover reveal awhile back. I immediately fell in love. It is a perfect, incredible and gorgeous cover. 

What I love most about it is that it reminds me of the bat mitzvah dress I wore a few years ago. My Bat Mitzvah dress is my favorite dress ever and I cannot feel happier about how a similar elegant dress is featured in the beautiful cover.

I award the cover of Pretty Amy 5/5 Sparkling Stars!

 

Interview!

I am so happy to have the chance to interview Lisa Burstein!

Q: What authors and books inspired you to write? 


A: I love Courtney Summers, Sara Zarr, John Green, Margaret Atwood and Deb Caletti, any author who is willing to be raw and real.My favorite book of all time is A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Q: How did you come to choose Amy as your main character’s name? 


A: Well, she really is an "every-girl" so I wanted to give her a very common name.


3. What first drew me to your book was its cover. Are you pleased with how Pretty Amy’s book cover came out? How did the cover choosing process work?


Yes, so pleased. It was all Liz Pelletier publisher at Entangled her design, her concept. It is beautiful!


4. I heard that you are planning to write another book in Amy’s friend Cassie point of view. Any early details and information on Dear Cassie yet? 


It's a companion novel to PRETTY AMY that follows Cassie's post-prom arrest to a rehabilitation retreat in the woods, told in Cassie's irreverent voice via her diary entries.


5. What do you hope readers of Pretty Amy discover from the book? 


Try to remember that even thought high school can sometimes feel like a roller coaster; as Amy says, "Four years of hardship, toil, boredom, and memorization; of each day feeling the happiest you think you could possibly feel and then sadder than you ever imagined," you will start to even out on the other side.

Thanks for reading! 

I hope everyone checks out Pretty Amy!

Bout A Books Read-A-Thon Updates!

Hi Unforgettable Bloggers!

Day 1

Books Finished: 1 The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredricks

Books Started: 1 Miss World by Randi Black

Total Pages Read: 250

Thoughts: I enjoyed reading The Girl in the Park because the mystery had many exciting twists. 

Day 2

Books Finished: 1 

Books Started: 3
I read 90 pages of Miss World by Randi Black but realized it was not a book I enjoyed reading so I stopped. I decided to add an e-book, Redheads are Souless by Heather White to my reading list so I could complete my goal of four books. Currently I am on page 41 on that book. I also read 76 pages of The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting. 

Total Pages Read since the start of the read-a-thon: 427

Thoughts: I had a slow reading day yesterday because I began a book I sadly disliked and I was busy working on other projects of mine. I did enjoy the other books I read. 

Day 3

Books Finished: 1

Books Started: 2 Storm by Brigid Kemmerer - read to page 123. Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout- read to page 236

Total Pages Read since the start of the read-a-thon: 786

Thoughts: I had so much fun re-reading Storm as I was starting my review for it. Once, I found Obsidian in my mailbox, I immediately became absorbed in its awesomeness! I love that book!


Day 4

Books Finished: 3 Finished Obsidian 80

Books continued: 1 Redheads Are Souless 20 pgs

Total Pages Read: 886 

Thoughts: I really enjoyed Obsidian! it was a great book!

Day 5

Books Finished: 3

Books Started: I was really busy so I was only able to read 60 pages of Redheads Are Souless. I spent most of my day working on my scrapbook. 

Total Pages Read: 946

Thoughts: I love reading and I hope to read more during the weekend when I am not at school. Actually, I usually read more during the weekend because I have more time. :)

Day 6

Books Finished: 4

Books Started: none

Total Pages Read: Alot, to much to count.

Thoughts: I finished re-reading the Last Echo by Kimberly Derting! I successfully read my goal of four  whole books!

Day 7

Books Finished: 4

Total Pages Read: Alot!

Thoughts: I enjoyed the Read-a-thon although I was not able to take part for most of the second half of the week. 

Thanks for reading!

Blogspiration - The Power of A Song

Blogspiration is a wonderful weekly meme hosted by GrowingUp YA& Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers & writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation & just a little SOMETHING!


I never imagined that I would be able to find a song that spoke to my heart as much as Stand By Me by Ben E. King. But recently I discovered an unforgettable song that has influenced my life in many ways. I hope everyone enjoys and gathers inspiration from my story of my discovery of this song and how it has changed my life. 


We Are Young by the band Fun is an amazing song that I discovered a few weeks ago riding home on my bus. I will always remember the day. I just spent the day, during my free time, reading The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead. I just finished the ending when I heard the following lyrics from the school bus's radio.

"Tonight 

We are young

So we set the world on fire 

We can burn brighter 

Than the sun." - Fun

These words spoke to me. I just finished an amazing book and I realized that although I am sad because a book I love is over and I would never be able to read it for the first time again, I am still young. I still have time to experience a pleasurable reading of a book for the first time again. There is still time to take changes and enjoy being young. I always want to live those amazing days when everything is perfect. I wish life could be perfect forever. 


And now, whenever I hear this song, I feel completely happy and reminisce about that book. Its so nice and so rare for me to find a song that reminds me of a book I love. 

Then, I was reading on the same school bus Rivals by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur when the song rang from the radio again. (during intense scene between Callie and Gregory I must add) Now every time I hear this song I also fondly reminisce on that outstanding book! 


Finally, the greatest piece of power and inspiration this song has is to not regret mistakes. Regret not learning from them. The speaker of this song subtly evokes a story of a young man who made a mistake and is now dealing with the consequences. 


I made so many embarrassing mistakes the last two weeks. But each mistake I made is an experience I will never forget. All my mistakes have inspired me to try harder in dealing with problems that are not easy to solve. 

Here is the official music video of We Are Young by Fun! (Provided by YouTube)

Do you have any songs that are inspiring to you or cause you to reminisce on an amazing book?

Thanks for reading and viewing!