100 Follower Giveaway WINNER

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Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Reviewer: Rebekah
Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Publisher: Quirk Books
Rating: 4/5

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive

Main Idea: Anyone who loves a bit of mystery, sci-fi, imagination, time travel, humor, Wales, and/or "boarding schools," you might want to definitely pick this up. 

I've been wanting to read this one for a while, but I never picked it up because A.) I'm cheap and B.) the library never had it. So when I found it, at no place other than Sam's Club (you can get literally any and everything there), for less than 11 bucks, I was flipping out! So I packed it away and read it in less than two days while turning into a fried chicken nugget on the beach. It was wonderful. 


I figured it would be a bit creepy - I mean look at that LEVITATING girl on the cover.  The check-out lady gave me the WEIRDEST look when I bought it.  


our conversation:


"What is THAT?" - check-out lady
"A book..." - me
"I know that. That creepy girl...is she HOVERING?" - lady
"Uhhh...." - me


That's about it.


Jacob, the main character, is just a regular rich kid with no friends wanting more in life than his easy way up into the family business (reminded me a bit of Looking For Alaska's Miles as the kind of loner type). He wants to believe in the magic his grandfather has always told him about, but he knows it can't be true, especially now that his grandfather has gotten very senile and mixed up about everything. But the trip to the place his grandfather always told him about turns out to be more than he bargained for...

For those of you that have read it, I know it seems a little bit too much like a X-Men revamp, but hey, I LOVE X-MEN! Call me a nerd. I don't care! It has a distinct darkness to it, but it isn't overdone. It's funny too.
I did feel this book was drastically split...but that's kind of how it should be. He even starts out with a spill about how his life is so drastically divided between the then and the now. There's not a whole lot of character development JUST yet...but you get the taste of it. And I'm ready for the next book.


I totally recommend this. It is everything and nothing like what I expected. 



Rebekah 

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Book Review: Cross my Heart by Sasha Gould

Reviewer: Taylor
Title: Cross my Heart
Author: Sasha Gould
Source: Netgalley
Pages: 262
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Random House Childrens
Rating: 3/5

Venice, 1585.
When 16-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura's father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier and orders her to marry Beatrice's fiancé, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo. Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the Segreta, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets. The Segreta seems like the answer to Laura's prayers. The day after she joins their ranks, Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled. Soon, however, Laura begins to suspect that her sister's death was not a tragic accident but a cold-blooded murder—one that might involve the Segreta and the women she has come to trust.

Main Idea: I would recommend picking up this book if you are in the mood for a quick, not too intense mystery/historical fiction book. It was very enjoyable from start to finish and definitely had me guessing!

This was one of the first historical fiction books I have read in a while, and I really enjoyed it! We follow Laura as she is released from the convent her father left her in to discover that her best friend and older sister, Beatrice, is dead. Her father now expects her to act as her older sister, acting as the proper girl that society deems appropriate. She has also been pledged to marry her sister's fiance, Vincenzo who is basically completely disgusting. She learns about the Segreta, a secret society who promises to help her as long as she gives them a secret. And then the story goes on from there.

I loved the whole mystery aspect of the story. She is very suspicious that her sister's death was not an accident, but a murder. However, she begins to suspect the very society she has taken an oath to be a part of. So, yeah, that was very intense and intriguing! There is also a very attractive Italian man that Laura meets who has a few secrets of his own up his sleeve.

I enjoyed the story, however it wasn't very complicated at all. It was kind of point-blank... not much else going on besides the main plot of the story. But, sometimes simple is good! All in all, this was a historical fiction story that I really enjoyed!

Taylor

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IMM (13)

HEY ALL!

We are officially on Spring Break, enjoying sand and sunshine at the beach. So, this will probably be our only post for the week, and it's an IMM video! Enjoy!

 

What did you get this week?

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Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted by Breaking the Spine.

I KNOW THIS IS LATE BUT I REALLY WANT TO READ THIS!

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Expected publication: August 28th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Series

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Broke and Bookish. Each week a different top ten "theme" is chosen. This week, we are choosing our top ten favorite series! We have read more than one book in each of these series (unless only the first book is available), and we are excited to share them with you! For real, who doesn't love a seriously good book series where you can just keep on coming back for more! Leave yours linked below!

 So here they are:

Both of us love...
1. Harry Potter Series. Yep, we put our wizard friend up top again because we must. And we are not ashamed.
2. The Hunger Games. No explanation needed.
3. Divergent.....obviously i've only read the first...but i'm obsessed
4. Chronicles of Narnia. What else?
5. The Maze Runner. WHAT UP. An Amazing trilogy full of action, adventure, and mystery!

Rebekah
1. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Gosh. I love these. SO MUCH.
2. The Millenium Series. So much craziness.

Taylor
1. Unearthly Trilogy. Angel books that will blow your mind.
2. Across the Universe Trilogy. These Sci Fi books will keep you on the edge of your seat. Ahh they are so good!
3. Gemma Doyle Trilogy... I've only read the first two (the last is a GIANT), but these books are historical fantasy, and they are so good!

Obviously, we LOVE a good series. So share yours with us! Please??

Taylor and Rebekah

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$500 Amazon Giftcard?! Say what?!

Holy cow. A $500 Amazon giftcard?! Wish I was able to give this away... but Sparkling Reviews (click here for giveaway!) IS hosting this giveaway! And I am earning 25 extra entries by blogging about it... And plus, I want to let you all know about another great giveaway going on! Can you imagine how many books you would be able to buy?! WHAT??

So, check it out!
Taylor

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Book Review: Airhead by Meg Cabot

Reviewer: Taylor
Title: Airhead
Author: Meg Cabot
Source: Library
Series: Yes (1st book)
Pages: 337
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Publisher: Point

EM WATTS IS GONE.
      Emerson Watts didn’t even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there—along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.
      How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her,and life as she’d known it, forever?
      One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.
      Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she’s actually a girl is the least of Em’s problems.
      But what Em’s pretty sure she’ll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that’s going to make her dream come true...
      NIKKI HOWARD IS HERE TO STAY.

Main Idea: If you were like me and have burnt yourself out on dystopians, fantasy, realistic fiction, or whatever, hop on over to your local library or bookstore and give Airhead a try!

Okay, so this review may seem kind of random, considering this book came out like years ago, however, who doesn't love some Meg Cabot?

This is actually the first Meg Cabot book I have ever read. shocker. I know. But, I've been so busy trying to keep up with the latest and greatest books that I have let older books fall to the side. But I'm so glad I picked this one up.

Y'all, the premise is weird. Like what actually happens is crazy! But I can't give it all away, but basically our main character, Emerson gets knocked out and wakes up in a super famous super model's body. Wait, what? Yep, that's actually what happens. Before she "became" a famous super star, she was a cheerleader hating, videogame playing tomboy. So, imagine her surprise when she wakes up and realizes she has to be a supermodel for the rest of her life. That would be a shocker. So the story pretty much follows Em and crazy antics that ensue after she begins to live in someone else's body.

To be honest... I'm not even sure what really even happens throughout the whole book. It is just a whirlwind of funny scenes, funnier scenes, and outrageous predicaments. And, it is a trilogy! So, I will definitely be picking the other two up soon.

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100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY

HEY GUYS!

So, we have officially reached 100 followers! Well, 101 as I am putting this up. :) 

In order to thank you guys for being so awesome and sticking with us as we continue to figure things out, we wanted to host a giveaway! One lucky winner will get to choose any book they wish (under $15) from the book depository if they ship to where you live.
Thanks so much for following, and we can't wait to see who the lucky winner is!

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Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Reviewer: Taylor
Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Source: Library
Series: Yes (2nd book)
Pages: 403
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: January 17, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.
       Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.
      In this compelling sequel to "Unearthly," Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

The Main Idea: THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. It includes a love triangle I actually like, drama, suspense, and romance. Pick it up regardless of whether you like paranormal or not!

Y'all... I love this series. Unearthly was great, but Hallowed blew me away! Who would have thought I would love an angel book so much.

When I read Unearthly, I couldn't decide which team I was on. Team Tucker or team Christian?! But as much as I loved Tucker, I couldn't help but feel that Clara was supposed to be with Christian. You find out more in this book which one she must/will choose. While a lot of people were saying there wasn't a whole lot of Tucker in this book, I noticed him in there a lot! The battle for Clara definitely heats up between the two boys and her choice gets even harder.

One thing I loved about this book is that SO many questions were answered. It was actually a huge relief. I hate not knowing what is going on. Some of the revelations were seriously SHOCKING, and one particular revelation about had me in tears (which is big, because i NEVER cry in books). This revelation carries big weight in this story, and really puts a serious emotional twist on the book.

I could go on forever, but long reviews are rather...well... long. So, that is all I will say for now. But, please, if you have read Unearthly, go pick up Hallowed now!

Taylor

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer AUDIOBOOK CLIP

Hey everybody! Macmillan Audio was nice enough to send me a link to a clip of the AudioBook of Cinder! I reviewed the book very recently, and absolutely loved it! So, check out the AudioBook clip to get a taste of what it sounds like. Audiobooks are seriously THE BEST ever because you can be getting your reading finished basically anywhere... driving in the car, doing chores, excercising.. or whatever! This clip will also give you a sneak peek into the book as well- I really like the narrator!

 

Cinder Audio Book Clip!

Thanks for reading!

Taylor

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