Pandemonium Review

Finally...FINALLY, I have had time to read the sequel to Delirium! I got Pandemonium the day it came out, actually I had pre-ordered it months before. I did not want to read it yet because I heard it had a killer ending that left you hanging. But obviously I caved. What can I say, I needed my Alex fix.

Lauren Oliver is an amazing writer and her books have a certain feel to it that I can not explain. Nobody writes like she does, that's for sure.

Goodreads Blurb:
I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.


My Review:
Beautiful,heartbreaking, heart stopping, and action packed. Pandemonium did not disappoint as we follow Lena through the Wilds. I felt so much pain and emotion throughout the whole entire book.

   "Alex is alive. Push,push,push. I run until my feet are swollen, until my toes bleed and blister. Raven screams at me even as she is preparing buckets of cold water for my feel, tells me to be careful, warns me about the dangers of infection. Antibiotics are not easy to come by here.
     The next morning I wrap my toes in cloth, stuff my feet into shoes, and run again. If you can...just a little bit farther...just a little bit faster...you'll see, you'll see, you'll see. Alex is alive.
     I am not crazy. I know he isn't, not really. As soon as my runs are done and I am hobbling back to the church basement, it hits me like a wall: the stupidity of it all, the pointlessness. Alex is gone, and no amount of running or pushing or bleeding will bring him back.
     I know it. But here's the thing: When I'm running, there's always this split second when the pain is ripping through me and I can hardly breathe and all I see is color and blur--and in that split second, right as the pain crests, and becomes too much, and there's whiteness going through me, I see something to my left, a flicker of color (auburn hair, burning, a crown of leaves)--and I know then, too, that if I only turn my head he'll be there, laughing, watching me, holding out his arms.
    I don't ever turn my head to look. of course. But one day I will. One day I will, and he'll be back, and everything will be okay.
    And until then: I run." (Pandemonium pg. 51 on nook)

That whole page was so powerful to me. It overtook everything and I just broke down and cried. You see, what Lena has is hope. It is all any of us could ever have. But Alex died saving her life and yet, she still has hope that she will see him again and that he isn't dead. Which if you have read the book, you know what REALLY happens. I will not say to those who have not read the story, but let me tell you...that ending...wow! Oliver knows how to keep her readers begging for more.

While I loved the new and fierce Lena with her new life. I found myself missing her old and "simple" life. Such as Hana and of course Alex. If they could see the way Lena is now, they would probably not even recognize her. You do get to meet some new people in Pandemonium but I honestly was not at all attached to them. One of the first girls Lena meets in the Wilds, Raven, really irked me. I know she had to be strong to survive but, she still annoyed me with the ways she would treat Lena.

So Lena has a new love interest...
...enough said about that...

Overall thoughts:
If you do not enjoy the cliff hangers at the end of books, I suggest you wait to read until the third book comes out. Anyways this is a lovely second book to a wonderful series(or trilogy). I enjoyed seeing Lena change into an independent  bad*A. I can' WAIT until the next one:)
 

Beautiful Photography

Jori Marie - jorimarie's Photos

jorimarie.smugmug.com

Billions of happy photos, millions of passionate customers. Gorgeous online photo albums. Protect your priceless memories. Buy beautiful prints & gifts.

 

 

Photos are all done by my good friend Jori Cox:) I know this has nothing to do with books, but hey, photos are just as amazing as books can be. Especially the photos done by Jori. Go be a doll and check them out, you will not be disappointed!

 

 

What did I tell ya?;)

 

 

Need I say anymore?

 

 

Here is the photographer, awesome picture right? Well her sis took it! Must run in the family.

twitter: @jori_cox

website:jorimarie.smugmug.com

 

 

 

Okay you all get the gist of everything, correct? These are really good. Go check out the website I posted above. And while you are at it, go follow my blog:)

                                                               

The Hunger Games

Tonight is the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games! And guess who is going? Me! I am way excited, I even have my t shirt on:) Nerdy much? I would not say I was eagerly awaiting the movie because lets face it, I was not. The books were amazing and I like the people I picture in my own head. But maybe these actors will somehow grow on me....
Who knows? The cast for Twilight still has yet to grow on me, and the last movie comes out this summer.

This right here is Katniss Everdeen, the girl who is a bad a** and can shoot a bow and arrow. (I wish I could shoot one....) AWESOMEEEE! So I guess Jennifer Lawrence is okay looking in this picture. I was wondering how her hair would turn out once it was brown and surprisingly she actually looks fine.

My goodness this cast is beautiful...
Well MOST of them....
HAHA

Anyways, I am excited to see how they portray the book and I will go into the movie with an open mind. I understand that the movie can't possibly be just like the book. But I do hope they stick closely to it. Pretty please? It's all I can ask for, I mean since I am such a big fan and all...

Comment and tell me what you are expecting from The Hunger Games:)

Where is my Christian Grey? @e_l_james

Fifty Shades of Grey Review

I am sure you have all heard all the buzz about the book that is considered the "Twilight" for adults. While I did love Fifty Shades of Grey, I don't like that it is compared to twilight. Of course, the story is based off Twilight fan fiction. Granted it's no vampire story, it is simply based on Edward and Bella's relationship plus some other stuff that makes it somewhat comparable to Twilight. Christian is beautiful, powerful, controlling, and possessive. So in a way I can see a little bit of Edward Cullen in the now infamous Christian Grey. The billionaire heart throb who is in to BDSM. And for those who have no idea what that term even means, here is the wikipedia definition  of it:

BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of personal relationship involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role play. The compound initialism BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline (B&D or B/D), dominance and submission (D&S or D/s), and sadism and masochism (S&M or S/M). BDSM includes a wide spectrum of activities, forms of interpersonal relationships, and distinct subcultures.

Are you as freaked out as I was? Well don't be! I was so scared of reading the book because let's face it, it's not exactly my cup of tea if you know what I mean. But my curiosity got the better of me from all the positive reviews it had been receiving. So about a month or two ago I finally caved in and bought it. At the time Barnes and Noble didn't have the books, so I had to by it straight from the publishers. I am mighty glad I did too.
Review time!

Goodreads Blurb:

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms. 

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

My Thoughts:

As you can tell from my little introduction from above, I did very much enjoy the story. Despite the fact that it is in fact an Erotica book. I mainly read Young Adult fiction, so this is definitely out of box of comforting stories that make me feel good. It made me feel good in a different way though, as many women may come to find.

Ana is your typical college good girl who helps out her best friend to interview a hot shot business man. Aka Christian Grey. When she meets him, she becomes flustered and blushes an awful lot. Very much like Bella. I do not know whether or not to call it annoying or what, but Ana got on my nerves because she flushed way too much. So her and Christian meet and instantly you can feel the chemistry between the two and I forgive her just a little for blushing every page of the book.

When we finally see what Christian is all about, my mouth just drops open in awe...or maybe I am

more freaked out than anything. Ana is one brave girl, because I would have left screaming for the hills if someone wanted me to be their submissive. No thank you! But as many of you have probably read/heard, this is a ROMANCE novel. Yes you heard me, romance! Okay, you can swoon now.

Christian Grey is the man every girl is talking and dreaming about. You want my honest opinion? I would not want a man who was anything like Christian. He has some serious issues...many that I have already stated, possessive, controlling, etc. I would not want a man like that. He is beautiful and he has money growing out of his butt! But to me that is not enough. Will my opinion change after I learn more about him and once I read the second book? Well I have read the second book and I will not tell you if my opinion has changed for the better until the next review comes out. But Christian Grey is everything the book says, all fifty shades.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me. Perhaps I've spent too long in the company of my literary romantic heroes, and consequently my ideals and expectations are far too high." -Ana

I love this quote. I spend far too much time wishing and praying I can find a guy just like the ones I read about. As well as many of my fellow readers/blogger/authors. My mind knows exactly what it wants, the problem is finding that perfect man. And then realizing that there is no such thing. It is still fun to fantasize about book boys such as Edward, Christian, Jace (The Mortal Instruments), and Will (The Infernal Devices).

So what I am really trying to say is that that is what The Fiftys trilogy is all about. Fantasy. Let loose and go check it out:)

Clockwork Prince Review

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Hardcover, 498 pages

Published December 6th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

more details...

ISBN

1416975888 (ISBN13: 9781416975885)

edition language

English

original title

Clockwork Prince

series

The Infernal Devices #2

characters

Theresa Gray, Magnus Bane, William Herondale, James Carstairs, Jessamine Lovelace 

Jessamine Lovelace, Henry Branwell, Charlotte Branwell, Nathaniel Gray, Gideon Lightwood, Gabriel Lightwood, Sophie Collins ...less

setting

London, England, 1878 (United Kingdom)

literary awards

Children's Choice Book Award Nominee for Teen Choice Book of the Year (2012)

 

Summary:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. 

 

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them. 

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do? 

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

My Review:

Love triangles, seriously! I absolutely despise them to a core. But this one...this is probably the first one that has ever broken my heart. I am obviously Team Will. I mean come on, who can resist the bad boy who isn't really a bad boy, but an amazingly sweet, and passionate guy? Not to mention beautiful. Um I can't resist! Plus he loves books, and I love a man who loves books. In my honest opinion, I think Tessa knows this too. Her heart truly lies with Will.
Yes I know she loves Jem but ...moreLove triangles, seriously! I absolutely despise them to a core. But this one...this is probably the first one that has ever broken my heart. I am obviously Team Will. I mean come on, who can resist the bad boy who isn't really a bad boy, but an amazingly sweet, and passionate guy? Not to mention beautiful. Um I can't resist! Plus he loves books, and I love a man who loves books. In my honest opinion, I think Tessa knows this too. Her heart truly lies with Will.

Yes I know she loves Jem but reading those last few pages, I can't help but to feel that she now feels obligated to marry him. Just my opinion though. I definitely felt giddy when Tessa and Jem has that kissing scene in his bedroom.

But nothing can beat The Balcony Scene. I think that surpasses even Jace and Clary.
Having said that I feel like I like this series more than the mortal instruments. Although, I would have liked to see more action and I would have liked to learned more about Tessa. I am sure we will find out more about it next book! 

Magnus Bane, the warlock, as etched his way into my heart. He is witty, and sarcastic, and all around fun!  When the shadowhunters are in trouble, he is there. I love him for that. I look forward to reading more of him:)

Cassandra you freaken rock!
Team Will ftw:)  

Up and Coming!

 These are all books that have amazing storylines and beautiful covers and they will be coming out this year! Yay! You could say they are on my wishlist. Take a look at all these wonderful books I am about to post and let me know what you think and what is on your wishlist!

 

Goodreads Blurb:
By Gina Rosati
Publication date:August 7, 2012

On the surface, there’s nothing remarkable about Anna Rogan: She gets average grades, she’s not especially fashionable, she spends most of her time just hanging out with her best friend Rei. But Anna does have a remarkable secret: she has the ability to do astral projection. She uses her out-of-body experiences to explore the universe, until one day when there’s an accident at school and her classmate Taylor gets into her body. Now Taylor’s using her new identity to accuse an innocent boy of murder and she shows no signs of leaving Anna’s body. The only person who knows Anna’s secret is Rei, and as her feelings for Rei grow she must face a future where they can never touch...unless they can find a way to get Taylor out of Anna’s body, stop the murder trial, and discover the true nature of Anna’s power.

Goodreads Synopsis:
 By Sarah Cross
Publication date: April 10, 2012

True love’s kiss just may prove deadly....

Mirabelle’s past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents’ tragic deaths to her guardians’ half-truths about why she can’t return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who’s a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren’t pretty things, and they don’t always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy-tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy-tale curses of their own ... brothers who share a dark secret. And she’ll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

Goodreads synopsis:
By Lex Thomas
Publication date: April 24, 2012

The Thorpe brothers are on their own. Ever since their mom died, and their dad took a big job, David’s been forced to play parent to his epileptic younger brother, Will. He knows he’s got to teach Will how to take care of himself sooner rather than later. But when a mysterious explosion rocks their high school one morning, David realizes he needs to teach Will real survival skills, if the two of them are going to make it out alive. With the explosion, a deadly virus is unleashed on the school. The virus only infects teenagers in their peak puberty years, causing them to lose their hair and making them lethal to adults and children. Within minutes, every faculty member is dead. The military quarantines the building, opening fire on any escape attempt and installing bi-monthly food drops. After a year of quarantine, with no adults around, all of the social cliques have developed into gangs—The Nerds, The Geeks, The Freaks, The Skaters, The Pretty Ones and Varsity—and without a gang, it’s almost impossible to survive.

Because of an old grudge, David is hated by Varsity, the scariest gang in school. Because no gang wants trouble from Varsity, nobody wants David or Will as a member. Now, more than ever, the brothers need to work together, but if the school doesn't kill them, sibling rivalry will.

In this dark and captivating debut, Lex Thomas takes readers on a thrilling ride of a high school where fitting in is a matter of life-or-death.

Goodreads synopsis:
By Kristina McBride
Publication date: June 26, 2012

This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it's the one she'd do anything to forget.

Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below – dead?

As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

 Goodreads synopsis:
By Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publication date: June 14, 2012


"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them… until one summer evening Jase Garrett climbs her trellis and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love and stumble through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first romance, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own - even as she keeps him a secret from her disapproving mother and critical best friend. Then the unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A debut novel about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

Goodreads synopsis:
By Tina Connolly
Publication date: October 2012

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It's the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain -- the ironskin.

Now Jane returns to the war-torn country to help a fey-cursed child. Helping the unruly Dorie suppress her curse is hard enough -- she certainly didn't expect to fall for the girl's father, the enigmatic artist Mr. Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio -- and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows he cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things are true? Step by step Jane must unlock the secrets of her new life -- and discover just how far she will go to become whole again.

Goodreads synopsis:
By Tiffany Trent
Publication date: August 14, 2012

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

Goodreads synopsis:
By Elizabeth Fama
Publication date: September 4, 2012

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

 Goodreads synopsis:
By Amanda Hocking
Publication date: August 7, 2012


Lose yourself in the magic of Watersong, an unforgettable new series about two sisters who nearly lose their lives - and their loves - when they fall under the spell of three beautiful but deadly sirens.

First in a four-book paranormal romance YA series from bestselling author, Amanda Hocking.

Goodreads blurb:
By Sarah Wylie
Publication date: June 5, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away.

To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.

The Gates by Rachael Wade

The Gates
Summary:

Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Getting There is Half the Battle...

Armed with more unsettling knowledge about Gavin Devereaux and her circle of friends, Camille Hart is faced with new adversities and lethal propositions when she returns to the Amaranth exile to carry out Gavin’s risky crusade.

Realizing her journey through the bayou was only the beginning of her struggle to stay with Gavin, she finds that leaving her Louisiana home is the least of her worries. New evils await her on the other side, and as she and her friends press on with their mission, they are confronted with the reality that everything doesn't always go according to plan.

As secrets unfold and alliances are formed and broken, only the strongest will survive and the power of love will be tested when a war between witches, humans, and vampires erupts into an all-out power struggle and all is on the verge of being lost.

My Review-    So looks like I didn't have to wait until April! Wow I must say that was even better than the first. I do not want to give anything away considering it doesn't come out until April, but by golly that was good. There is a bunch of action and a BUNCH of love. Paranormal romance has taken over my heart and soul. There is something about being in love with a being that isn't human that is appealing to me and many others.
    Wade really has done it again with the second installment to The Resistance Trilogy. Her intake on vampires is different and believable. I love it. Not only are there vamps, but also witches. Witches are becoming fun to read about! Not only is there witchy magic but there is also some voodoo and girls you love to hate...or hate to love. Depending on how you look at it.
    The twists in the book are as surprising as ever. I felt my mouth dropping a few times and thinking to myself how I hadn't seen it before. I WANT TO TELL YOU but then I would be giving stuff away and I don't want to be the spoiler queen, so please when it comes out read it for yourself. And if you have not read the first one, go look at my review and then read that one!
     Betrayal plays a big role in The Gates. I am not a fan of betrayal, but we all have done it at least once in our lives. I have done it and I have hurt people I love along the way, but the best you can do is learn from it. I HOPE that the person who was the biggest jerk/jerkette in The Gates gets what comes to him/her(coughHERcough). Hahaha
     Gavin and Camille never seize to amaze me. Their relationship is true and honest. In The Gates, their love will get tested. And oh it made me mad but that's all I'll give away!
    I wanted to thank the Shut up & Reads Group on Goodreads and Rachael for letting us have early copies of the book. I am truly honored and I am so glad I was lucky enough to receive it along with many others. Once the book is out, I will be adding on to this review. There is so much I would love to say but I won't because I don't want to ruin anything for any of you.

Until next time my Lovelies:)