Stacking the Shelves (29)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


The giant book sale was in town again so I had to go of course. I am pretty ecstatic about all of my purchases. The one I am most excited about is the Jane Austen book set. The bottom says it should have been $60.00 but they were selling it for $16.50. I have no excuse not to read them now.


Bought New

Deja Dead- Kathy Reichs

Kiss of Life- Daniel Waters
Invincible: The Chronicles of Nick- Sherrilyn Kenyon
Hana- Lauren Olivedr (E-Book)
13 Secrets- Michelle Harrison (E-Book)
Hunting Cat- Kelley Armstrong (E-Book)
The Hunter and Hunted- Kelley Armstrong (E-Book)
Dead To Me- Kelley Armstrong (E-Book)

Northhanger Abbey
Pride and Prejudice
Persuasion
Mansfield Park
Sense and Sensibility
Emma

What did you get in your mailbox? Leave a comment or a link below.

Code Name Verity- Elizabeth Wein

Title: Code Name Verity


Author: Elizabeth Wein


Source: Borrowed


Series: No


Rating: 4/5








Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery.

Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends.

But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in “Verity’s” own words, as she writes her account for her captors.

Do not give up on this book. I almost did, it is a little slow to start but it does pick up the pace and it is hard to put down. There is a lot of information to absorb in the first part of the book.  Code Name Verity is one of the best historical fictions I have read this year.


Two women are brought together because of war. They are from two completely different backgrounds but they become close friends. They work together and become close friends. When a vital mission goes wrong, one of the girls is captured and becomes a prisoner of war. The story is her confession to the gestapo.


The first half is the voice of Verity as a POW. The story was hard to get into it at first but once you get thought the technical part the story picks up. It made me laugh and want to sob. The ending was sad but I loved it.


All of the characters played a significant part. Characters I did not think were important turned out to be very important. I loved Verity's point of view. She portrayed the story in a unique way. She acts as an outsider in the beginning to allow you to make your own opinion of the characters.


There was so much research and facts intertwined into this story. This is one of the best world war 2 historical fiction novels I have ever read.

Dream Hunter- Elizasbeth Knox

Title: Dreamhunter

Author: Elizabeth Knox

Source: Borrowed

Series: Yes

Rating: 3.5/ 5









Laura comes from a world similar to our own except for one difference: it is next to the Place, an unfathomable land that fosters dreams of every kind and is inaccessible to all but a
select few, the Dreamhunters. These are individuals with special gifts: the ability to catch larger-than-life dreams and relay them to audiences in the magnificent dream palace, the Rainbow
Opera. People travel from all around to experience the benefits of the hunters’ unique visions. Now fifteen-year-old Laura and her cousin Rose, daughters of Dreamhunters, are eligible to test
themselves at the Place and find out whether they qualify for the passage. But nothing can prepare them for what they are about to discover. For within the Place lies a horrific secret kept
hidden by corrupt members of the government. And when Laura’s father, the man who discovered the Place, disappears, she realizes that this secret has the power to destroy everyone she loves . . .


In the midst of a fascinating landscape, Laura’s dreamy childhood is ending and a nightmare beginning. This rich novel, filled with beauty, danger, politics, and intrigue, comes to a powerful crescendo, leaving readers clamoring for Book Two.


Dreamhunter is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Laura comes from a similar world from our own with one large difference. There are dream hunters. The Dream, Hunters are able to catch dreams and show them to other people. Famous dream hunters perform them for other people.

Laura and her cousin Rose have grown up dreaming of being dream hunters. Rose’s mother and Laura’s father are dream hunters and the girls hope the gift has been passed onto them. When they become of age, both girls do a try to discover if they are dream hunters. The world of dream hunters is filled with lies and deception that Laura and Rose discover as they fall farther into this newly discovered world.

I enjoyed the unique idea of the novel but I did not find myself completely absorbed into the story. I did not connect with the characters. I found Laura to be frustrating at times.  She was a follower in the first part of the book then her personality completely changes in the second half and I found her to be snotty at times. The adults in the book were also frustrating. They allowed Laura who is fifteen to walk all over them and allowed her to do whatever she pleased.

Overall I enjoyed the idea but not being able to connect to the characters made me feel disconnected from the story. I may read the sequel but I am not in a rush to find out what is going to happen next.

The Eleventh Plague- Jeff Hirsch

Title: The Eleventh Plague

Author: Jeff Hirsch

Source: Free SYNC downloads

Series: No

Rating: 4/5

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America's landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvages, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. But when Stephen's grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler's Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, a school, and even baseball games. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are.

The US has been destroyed by war and illness. The eleventh plague has killed 2/3 of the population. It was introduced as a counterattack against the US. The epidemic was a vicious strain of the influenza.  The people who are left are not struggling to survive.

The story begins soon after the narrator; Steve Quinn’s grandfather had died. It is not only his father and himself left in the family. They continue to scavenge and struggle to survive. After a tragic accident causes Steve’s father to be put into a coma Steve discovers a place called Settler’s Landing. It is quiet an adjustment for Steve o get used to. Settler’s Landing has managed to retain many luxuries that were thought to be lost forever.

I enjoyed the description of the book. I found it to be very descriptive and found myself completely absorbed into the story. There were a lot of secondary characters but they all had their place in the story.  I found that none of them really stuck with me though, I enjoyed all of them but there were none I really connected with.

This is a unique story, I found this completely original and unique. I like the different worlds that were brought together. The ending to me seemed a little swept up. All of the loose ends were taking care of.  The story was good while I was reading it but it did not leave me wanting more.  

I look forward to reading more works. I enjoyed the writing style. I gave it a 4/5.



Stacking the Shelves (28)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I was good this week. I only technically bought two books and they were used. The rest I got with store credit and from the library.

Bought Used

The Great Gasby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Thirst- Christopher Pike
Generation Dead- Daniel Waters
Blood Promise- Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound- Richelle Mead
The Red Pyramid- Rick Riordan

Borrowed from the Library

For Darkness Shows the Stars- Diana Peterfreund

Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn

Wanderlove- Kristen Hubbard

Gold- Chris Cleave

Born Wicked- Jessica Spotswood

Code name Verity- Elizabeth Wein.

I also went to http://www.audiobooksync.com/free-syn-downloads/ and downloaded The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, Read by Dan Bittner (Scholastic Audiobooks). They are offering two free audio book downloads a week for the summer. You have to download them within the week but once you download them you can listen to them at anytime.

The Spiderwick Chronicles- Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi

Title: The Spiderwick Chronicles (Book 1-5)

Author: Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi

Source: Bought used

Series: Yes

Rating: 4.5/5




It all started with a mysterious letter left at a tiny bookstore for authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Its closing lines: "We just want people to know about this. The stuff that has happened to us could happen to anyone." Little could they imagine the remarkable adventure that awaited them as they followed Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace and a strange old book into a world filled with elves, goblins, dwarves, trolls, and a fantastical menagerie of other creatures. The oddest part is in entering that world, they didn't leave this one!

Five captivating books!

One thrilling adventure!

The Spiderwick Chronicles

This is the best middle grade book I have read in a long time. I do not read MG a lot but I love when I do that I can discover gems like this one. This is a series that would be great for those reluctant readers.  It was hard to differentiate through the different books; they each flowed smoothly into the next book. I am glad I bought all five, if I didn’t I would have been dying to read the next one.

I absolutely loved this story. The grace children move with their mother into their great- aunt Lucinda’s house after she is sent to a psychiatric hospital. As they are settling into the house they discover a secret room containing a field guide about fairies and other mythical creatures that they assumed only lived in fairy tales. As Jared, Mallory and Simon discover the secrets of the mythical creatures that surround them they balance curiosity and safety.

The children stuck together through the tough times that led them to move to the Grace estate.  They fight like all siblings do, but they were there for each other when they needed each other. Each book features pictures and illustrations which made the story come alive.

I enjoyed all the creatures introduced in the story. My favourite was the griffin; his relationship with Simon was so sweet.

The series is absolutely sweet. I love Holly Black and this series just adds to my admiration of her work.

Stacking the Shelves (27)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I have a pretty big pile of book this week. I have a mix of new,used, gifted and borrowed.

I think I have mentioned this website before but if not I am going to leave another link to it. It is http://www.bookdepot.com. I love this site for real, this is my second time buying from this website and I love it.  There not always the newest books, but all my books were under $5 I believe so you cannot go wrong.

Bought New/Gifted

The Ask and the Answer- Patrick Ness (Gifted)

Rules of Attraction- Simone Elkeles

Incarceron- Catherine Fisher (Gifted)

Wondrous Strange- Lesley Livingston

Possess- Gretchen McNeil

Starcrossed- Josephine Angelini

Envy- Gregg Olsen (Gifted)

Hate List- Jennifer Brown (E-book. $2.99, I could not resist)





Bought Used

The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend- Kody Keplinger

This Dark Endeavor- Kenneth Oppel

Plague- Michael Grant (I know have the first four and have no excuse not to start reading the series).














Borrowed

A Blue So Dark- Holly Schindler

Dreamhunter- Elizabeth Knox

Hemlock- Kathleen Peacock



June TBR Update...

It is exactly halfway through the month so I decided I should do an update on how my June TBR is looking. I am trying to be good and read everything on my list but it is hard when I get a new book and want to devour it immediately.

I have read…

The Last Echo- Kimberly Derting

Infinity- Rachel Ward

Black Heart- Holly Black
Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales- Jacob Grimm

When You Were Mine- Rebecca Serle
Violet by Design- Melissa Walker

Heist Society- Ally Carter

Insurgent- Veronica Roth

Violet in Private- Melissa Walker

Gilt- Katherine Longshore

The Spiderwick Chronicles ( Book 1 - 5 ) - Holly Black
Summer and the City - Candace Bushnell
A Blue so Dark- Holly Schindler
Variant- Robinson Wells

I am currently reading…

Gods Behaving Badly- Marie Phillips

I have left to Read…

 

All These Things I’ve Done- Gabrielle Zevin

The Immortal Rules- Julie Kagawa

Summer and the City- Candace Bushnell

Title: Summer and the City

Author: Candace Bushnell

Source: Bought used

Series: Yes

Rating: 3.5/5

Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it—the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties, and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream.

This sequel to The Carrie Diaries brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country "sparrow"—as Samantha Jones dubs her—to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realizes that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined.

With her signature wit and sparkling humor, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw

This is the second book in the Carrie Diaries series, the story continues on after Carrie is out of high school and in New York.  She has started her summer program at The New School. It is the first time that Carrie has been away from home and quickly learns the ins and outs of New York. She meets some great friends along the way. up She has some ups and downs but managers to get through them all.

The story did not captivate me as much as the first one did but I still enjoyed it. I missed Carrie’s quirkiness and was eager to reacquaint myself. I found her frustrating at times, as she was almost eighteen I hoped for more character growth from Carrie especially.  She seemed so out of place throughout the entire book, she never seem to get ahead. It as frustrating at times to feel like the story was not progressing.

The secondary characters made the story flow, as it came together I could see the hints of where Sex and the City starts to come together and how they all meet.  This makes me want to watch the entire series.

This was a light read and exactly what I was looking for, I have enjoyed the series a lot and I hope that the series will continue as Carrie makes a name for herself in New York.

Insurgent- Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Source: Bought new

Series: Yes

Rating: 4/5

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

I finally read it. It has been out for over a month, but I was so nervous about reading it that I have been putting it off. It’s hard to narrow down what to say because so much happened. I want to re-read Divergent because I miss the characters already. I am seriously addicted.

Four is still a hunk of burning love, seriously there is some awesome romance going on with him and Trish. A few steamy moments which made me swoon. They find time to fight and have some intimate moments together through the action. I love it.

This book really made me rethink everything and everyone. Relationships were torn apart and new ones were created. The biggest shock to me was Trish and her brother, Caleb. This book will make you want to laugh and cry all at the same time. People you thought were good turn out to be bad and the bad guys are not always bad. I still do not know whose side I am on or what the outcome will be.

This is an amazing sequel. I loved Divergent more, but this is not a sequel that I regret reading. I want more of Tobias and Trish steamy moments and I want to know what happens next.

Stacking The Shelves (26)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I have decided I spend way too much on books. I bought another pile this week. I went in for two and came out with five. Oh well they all look amazing.

Bought New

Ghostly Justice- Bev Irwin

It's Not Summer Without You- Jenny Han (I got book two.YAY)

Eon- Alison Goodman

Hush, Hush-Becca Fitzpatrick ($4.99)

Crescendo- Becca Fitzpatrick ($4.99)












Borrowed

Gilt- Katherine Longshore



















That's all the books I got this week. What did you get?

Black Heart-Holly Black

Title: Black Heart
Author: Holly Black
Source: Borrowed
Series: Yes
Rating: 5/5















Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

**Contains spoilers if you have not read the first two books**

If you have not read this series you must immediately. It is amazing. This book had me hooked from start to finish. It makes me sad to know this is the end of the series, but the ending wrapped things up just enough to make me feel like my questions have been answered but there is still something to think about. There was so much that happened in this book, it so hard to articulate everything.

In the final book of the series, Cassel is still battling between good and evil. He wants to be normal teenager, but when you come from a family of curse workers who have ties with the mob, it’s hard to get out. Cassel has changed a lot but the basics of what he wants is still the same, he is still trying his best to separate himself from his past and look forward to the future. His relationship with Lila is still rocky; she still does not forgive him for trying to have her worked.

Lila was a character I was not a fan of in the beginning, but in this book I liked her so much more than I thought possible. I love Cassel and Sam’s bantering, even with the strain on there friendship because of Sam and Daneca’s breakup there still best friends who will always have each others back.

I found a lot of relationships in the first part of the book were strained, new alliances and relationships were formed. Black shows a different side of Barron revealed, as he puts strain on the relationship with his brother to form a new one that caught me off guard. At first I was completely shocked and angry, but subtle things made me have a change of heart.

I am torn between White Cat and this one as being my favorite. I hope Black has something in mind to keep this story going, I feel sad knowing there is no other books currently coming with these characters. I felt so many emotions reading this book; I read it within a few hours. I could not put it down.

I also have to mention how much I love this cover, it is absolutely gorgeous.

The Last Echo- Kimberly Derting

Title: The Last Echo

Author: Kimberly Derting

Source: Borrowed

Series: Yes

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye....

This is my favorite book of the series hands down. I liked the first one, tolerated the second one and loved the third one. I find all the books to be a little dark, but this one was pretty twisted. It was spooky and oh so good. I loved the creep factor this book had, but I enjoyed the steamy almost moments with Violet and Rafe. You know you want to read it now, just to find out what happens between Rafe and Violet.

Jay is still there unfortunately. I am not a fan of him at all. I think he is controlling and I do really wish that Violet would dump him for someone else. I vote Rafe, but that’s just me. Violet’s relationship with Jay in the last book especially has made me start to dislike the series; I hate how Violet lets him tell her what to do. I understand he is being protective but I still do not like him. I am totally team Rafe. He’s dark and moody but for a good reason. Violet also improved in this book, after the second book I was not sure if I wanted to read the third. Violet had started to grate on my nerves, but this book she redeems herself and becomes her own person outside of Jay.

I loved everyone at the centre and I felt like they are slowly becoming a bigger part of the story, the secondary characters from the previous books are still there but they are slowly fading more into the background as people from the centre become more prominent and start intertwining into the story more. The closeness she once shared with her parents is also disappearing; she is no longer the character we were introduced to in The Body Finder. She is a whole new Violet who is more mature and confident with herself as the books progress.

The ending was a total cliffhanger. I want to know what is going to happen next with Violet and the centre. It was a pretty eerie ending. It left me a lot of questions I am dying to have the answer too. I am so glad that this book made me fall in love with the series again, I wanted to be totally sucked in and completely focused on the story and the character. This book delivered just that and also left me wanting more.

Stacking The Shelves (25)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


I was doing really good this week in not buying any books. I even got caught up with my library books, but there was a sale at Chapters and I lost all will power.


I am super excited to dive into these books ASAP. I need to get through my June TBR first. I was a little lazy this week and did not take a picture of my very pretty books. I did however get caught up on my reading which is always good.


Bought New


Clockwork Angel- Cassandra Clair ($5!!)
Jellico Road- Melina Marchetta
The Summer I turned Pretty- Jenny Han
We'll Always Have Summer ($7- I know I am missing book two, sad)
Shine- Jeri Smith-Ready (!!!!!!!!!)

What did you get in your mailbox? Leave a link below. I would love to check it out!

TBR for June

I did so well in May with my TBR that I have added some extras for June. I am determined to read all of these this month.

1) Insurgent- Veronica Roth

2) Summer and the City- Candace Bushnell

3) Violet by Design- Melissa C. Walker

4) Violet in Private- Melissa C. Walker

5) The Immortal Rules- Julie Kagawa

6) When you were Mine- Rebecca Serle

7) The Spiderwick Chronicles (Book 1-5)- Holly Black

8) Heist Society- Ally Carter

9) All These Things I’ve Done- Gabrielle Zevin

10) Variant- Robinson Wells

11)  Gods Behaving Badly- Marie Phillips

12) Black Heart-Holly Black

13) Infinity- Rachel Ward

14) The Last Echo- Kimberly Derting