The 100 by Kass Morgan

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth’s toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland… before it’s too late.
Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they’ve only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they’re haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust – and even love – again.

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013
Number of pages: 277
My review: Hmmm. Lot’s of conflicting emotions over this book. For the first 100 (no pun intended) pages I was bored with the story. But after that things really started to get rolling.
I also had some problems with a few other things, namely; too many switching viewpoints between characters. I was so confused as to who was who, and only started to really grasp it towards the middle/end of the book. But maybe that’s my own incompetence.
Also, the names of the characters were all weird so this sort of aided in the not knowing who is who debacle.
Another thing I wasn’t a fan of was the fact that there was constantly the switching between present day and then events from the past. I felt it just made everything more confusing. However, I understand and appreciate why it was written that way. There adds more mystery and more for the reader to keep guessing over until the end of the book. Which brings me to my next point…
The ending! What the heck! Such a cliffhanger! I want to know what happens next right now and the book hasn’t even been published yet! So unfair.
There were some things I did like though! These include:
Clarke. She is such a badass and is definitely one of my all-time favorite characters. She’s so smart! You don’t find that very often in YA fiction, and she does what she wants. When her man treats her like crap she has no problem saying “see ya” and doing her own thing for awhile.
Also, I love the premise of the story. Just awesome. And the romance? Hello, love that!
After the staring at the cover for awhile though I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I like it, but then again I don’t. Maybe it’s the white background.
Anyways, if you’re a fan of Across the Universe by Beth Revis then I would definitely recommend this. And give the book a chance it gets so much better towards the middle/end.
See you soon!

Stacking the Shelves #19

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received throughout the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

I am a little behind so here’s what I got so far in August.

Received for review:

Game On: A Varsity Novel by Melanie Spring

The 100 by Kass Morgan

Won from a giveaway on Goodreads:

Summer Melody by Toddie Downs

Received from PaperBackSwap.com:

Dangerous Men Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance by New Cultural Studies Series (I had to get this book for a college feminism class I will be taking in the fall)

Purchased from a local used bookstore:

Bennett and Camilla: The Playboy Prince/Cordina’s Crown Jewel by Nora Roberts

            

    

What did you get this week? Leave a comment below and I’ll come check out your haul!

See you soon!

Game On: A Varsity Novel by Melanie Spring

Synopsis from Goodreads: Behind every squad, there’s a story.Welcome to the world of high school cheerleading.It’s fall of their freshman year, and Chloe, Kate, and Emily are excited to take their places on the Northside High JV cheerleading squad. But when newcomer Devin arrives on the scene, she unwittingly shakes up the girls’ tight friendship and rattles Chloe’s confidence. With regional competitions right around the corner, though, this is no time for the squad to fall apart-building a human pyramid takes teamwork, after all!Chronicling the dramas of best friends, first boyfriends, and freshman year, this spirited series has something for everyone-whether or not you can rock a high pony.Get fired up for the first book in a brand-new series created in partnership with Varsity, the world’s leading cheerleading brand.

Date of publication: September 3rd, 2013
Number of pages: 262
My review: As cheesy as this cover looks this was actually a really good book! It had that sort of innocent feel about it since it focused mainly around freshmen high school girls. I like how the book really delved into some issues that girls feel when entering high school (older guys, more homework pressure, juggling extra curricular activities, etc) while also continuously talking about cheerleading.

I myself am not a cheerleader, but you really don’t need to be to enjoy this book! It was very cutesy, and extremely fast paced, so you were never bored. Subliminally Game On also taught some good lessons about friendship, teamwork, and high school in general.

I would definitely recommend this to girls who are entering high school, or are currently in high school, and maybe to those kids who have already graduated since it sort of brings back the nostalgia of cheerleaders cheering on your football team. Good times, good times.

The only thing I didn’t really like about Game On was the cover! I’m hoping they’ll make some changes to it before it’s released because it’s just too cheesy. I guess it makes sense considering what kind of audience they’re trying to target, but if it had a more sophisticated look I think it would be able to appeal to a larger variety of people. Although the cover pictured above is SO much better than the cover that I found on Barnes and Noble’s site (see right). The black there makes it look more mature.

See you soon!

Friday Night Alibi by Cassie Mae

Synopsis from Goodreads: Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.
In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.
Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black., and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he reallyknows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

Number of pages: 233
My review: When I saw this on Goodreads and read the synopsis I was immediately intrigued and knew I HAD to read it. And it was really good!
I enjoyed reading about Kelli and Chase (better known as their nicknames, “Stinky” and “Moron”). The whole novel was just really cute and, at times, quite innocent. Although, other times it did get a little hot and heavy 😉
Oranges have never seemed so sexy.
Anyways, reading from Kelli’s point of view was sort of like diving into her diary. The way she explained things was just so blunt and with no sugar coating. And she was honest. I just loved that. In her descriptions of Chase, and the struggles with her parents, she just sounded real.
I also love a book that has anything to do with people being rich, rich, rich so this was perfect! The whole concept of the “Friday Night Alibi” was pretty cool too. Although I would have liked to see her talk about a few other clients. However, her struggles with this one client in particular and all the challenges he brought on, made it more realistic in my eyes.
I believe this is classified as New Adult romance so you should probably be a little older if you want to read this! Or you can ignore my warning altogether and go for the gusto.
See you soon!

Stacking the Shelves #4

Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received in the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: February 25-March 3

For Review: Agent Colt Shore: Domino 29 by Axiel Avian (paperback, sent to me by the publisher)

From the library:
The Husband List by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly


Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu


What did you get this week? As always, drop a link below and I’ll come and check it out and don’t forget to subscribe!
See you soon!

Eternal by Virginia Gamsky Hust

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: Three hundred years of penance, of suffering through an immortal life has left Maura praying for salvation. She joins a group bent on gaining back their souls by awakening The One and after a rather bleak few years in Cairo she thinks they’ve found him. But after a meeting with her sire goes terribly wrong she is trapped in the enemy camp. How far will she go to survive? 

Gabriel is a normal, if rather jaded private detective living in Seattle Washington, until a beautiful woman shows up at his practice, claiming to be a vampire and asking for his help. Suddenly his life is turned on its head as he is introduced to the underground society of Fallen Angels bent on finding their savior.

Number of pages: 346
My review: Honestly, the one problem I had with this book was that it ended on a cliffhanger! I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next! (Although the next book is supposed to come out sometime in March…so we’ll see)
Anyways, if you love lot’s of action and smidges of romance here and there then this is the book for you! It also has vampires and angels, an awesome fight scene, and much, much, more! In the beginning I was a little confused with the characters due to their extravagant names, but I quickly got used to it and was able to fully enjoy the novel without thinking “Wait who was that again?”
The story alternates from Maura and Gabriel’s point of view (in the third person) but I found myself wishing to read more and more about Maura because I liked seeing how she dealt with different and difficult situations while being housed in the enemy fortress. Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoyed reading about Gabriel’s point of view too, where he must come to terms with a high power and his own fate, but Maura spoke to me more (possibly because she was a girl).
I liked the amount of action that went on in this book and how it was intertwined with the vampires who were attempting to understand the prophecy of the higher power. The religious twist on the story was pretty neat (even though, I, myself, am not religious) but it was interesting to see how vampires and angels felt about “The Lord” as they call him, or “The Father.”
Overall, a really fantastic read, that I just flew through in a couple of days and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one!
See you soon!

P.S. Huge thank you to Ms. Hust for asking me to read and review the book and for sending me a digital copy of it!

The Genius of Little Things by Larry Buhl

Synopsis from the back of the book: Sixteen-year-old Tyler’s big dream of becoming a top immunologist could come crashing down if he doesn’t manage all of the little things right now.

But when this obsessive-compulsive science geek confronts a school election, a demeaning job, needy tutees, a first girlfriend, and the possible extinction of honeybees, there are suddenly too many things to manage.

Tyler’s catastrophically humorous run for high school student council convinces the principal that he’s a troublemaker, while it wins him the admiration and desire of Rachel, a smart and iconoclastic reporter for the school paper.

A new night job at a nursing home puts Tyler on a collision course with his new foster parents, a childless middle-aged couple with an agenda and a tragic past of their own. And the pain of his mother’s death becomes too big for him to ignore.

Set on the mean streets of suburban Las Vegas, The Genius of Little Things is about how you can’t always get what you want. But sometimes, well, you know…

Number of pages: 224
My review: This is truly a fantastic novel! The main character, Tyler, has such a no-nonsense attitude and the way he tells the story is so straight to the point, that you are immediately drawn to him and all of his quirks. From the get-go I wondered about his past and what plans he had for the future (which you learn about as the story progresses) and as you continue reading you take a journey with Tyler through his crazy life and delve into his mind to see just what exactly he thinks about different situations.
I found Tyler also extremely relatable, especially when he was considering options to “pad his college application” to make himself seem more well-rounded and the struggle he has with writing the plethora of college essays which ask the dreaded question of “tell me about yourself.” I also found it quite hilarious that Tyler felt the need to pump up his college application with extra curriculars because he was obviously already a genius who had been studying topics, which I had never heard of in, elementary school.
The book itself is simply amazing and made me laugh out loud continuously  The journey that Tyler and the characters around him go through is extremely heartfelt and has you rooting for certain characters from the minute they are introduced. Tyler himself is inspiring and not exactly wholesome but he brings a certain edge or finesse to the story that is hard to find in other characters in similar novels.
Overall, an excellent story and huge thank you to Larry Buhl for sending me the book to read and review! I will continue to look for new novels from him in the upcoming future. (Actually his next book We’re Here to Help is coming out this spring!)
See you soon!
Paige

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: A hilarious new novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom.

Don’t mess with a girl with a Great Personality.

Everybody loves Lexi. She’s popular, smart, funny…but she’s never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi’s sick of it. She’s sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She’s sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She’s sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she’s sick of having all her family’s money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren’t going to know what hit them. Because Lexi’s going to play the beauty game – and she’s in it to win it.

Number of pages: 261

Release Date: March 1st, 2013

My review: I finished this book in only one day because it was THAT fantastic! The first book I read from Elizabeth Eulburg was Prom and Prejudice and I gave a raving review of that book so when I heard that she was releasing another book, I just had to get my hands on it! So, as you can imagine, the day that Netgalley informed me that my request had been approved to read it, I was ecstatic! 

Anyways, the synopsis does a pretty good job of summing up the story, but once you start reading you realize it has so much more depth than it lets on. Lexi is one of those characters I instantly took a liking to because she knew exactly what she wanted in life, she tried not to take anyone’s crap, and she had two of the coolest friends, Cam and Benny, I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in a book.

I really appreciated how as the story progressed she was able to stand up for herself, and this caused her to be a really wonderful (and NOT weak) central female character. I just hate when female characters seem to depend too much on boys or don’t have a single thought of their own.

The friendship between Cam, Benny, and Lexi was hilarious and I actually felt a deep connection with them. Their friendship sort of reminded me of the kids from that old TeenNick show “Unfabulous”. (Click the picture here to see what I’m talking about) Also, their friendship lasted through the book, it wasn’t one of those friendships where the main girl abandoned them after she found a guy, or something. Cam was always saying hilarious statements and even though they were funny they also had a deep sense of truth in them. 

I loved to see the development Lexi went through regarding her family issues, her sister Mac’s pageant fiascoes  her friendship, and the way she discovered how important image is to people. This book was on my top books of 2013 that I wanted to read and I’m glad I was able to read it because it was so refreshing and an absolute page turner! (No pun intended) I would definitely recommend you checking it out!

See you soon!

Paige

Songbird by Syrie James

 

 

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: When Southern California radio deejay Desiree Germain hosts a contest on the air, she is immediately taken by the smooth, deeply masculine voice of caller number twelve, Kyle Harrison. Later that afternoon, the man behind the voice walks into her studio, and Desiree is instantly smitten. 

Kyle Harrison is not only devastatingly handsome, he is a brilliant, extremely wealthy entrepreneur from Seattle who is used to getting what he wants. Desiree can’t help her attraction to Kyle—and if the intense way he looks at her and keeps delaying his flight back to Seattle is any indication, it seems her feelings are more than reciprocated. 

They embark on a thrilling, passionate love affair that plays havoc with the life Desiree has struggled so hard to carefully control. With a divorce under her belt and her career finally going places, she is concerned that their whirlwind romance is doomed to long-distance failure.



It might take a Maserati, dozens of red roses, and a lot of airplane tickets, but Kyle is determined to sweep Desiree off her feet and claim her as his own—forever. Can Kyle convince Desiree to risk her heart and her career for love? 

Sexy, witty, tender, and deeply poignant, Songbird is a page-turning tale that will ignite your senses and bring a smile to your heart. 

Number of pages: 236
My review: I have read three of Syrie James’ other books and I have loved all of them, and this being the fourth it was just as good! When I was contacted to read and review this book I was ecstatic because I can always rely on Syrie James’ works to be a breath of fresh air, so to speak, in the reading sphere. She writes flawlessly and clearly and it doesn’t seem fake or overdone at all. Her words roll right off the page and causes you to finish her novels quickly not only because the plots are so good, but because the writing itself is an excellent piece of art too.
And Syrie James has lived up to my expectations once I again! I flew through Songbird! It was amazing on all sorts of levels; there was really good plot and character development, so you actually felt for the characters instead of just lazing along wondering what would happen to them. The setting was believable (extremely believable for me since I have been to/live around the Southern California area and I have been to Seattle as well). However, for people who hadn’t been to either area, Syrie James did a good job of describing what each setting looked like including all the sights, sounds, and hustle and bustle of each city.
The romance between Kyle and Desiree sometimes became a little too unbelievable for me (they fell in love after only 3 weeks? Seems a tad fast) but overlooking that their relationship was very adorable (I especially loved the scene where Desiree met Kyle’s family).
Anyways, it was truly a great read and perfect for February and that Valentine’s Day feel! I would recommend this for older teens and adults since sometimes it gets a little…saucy; let’s put it that way.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
Paige

Stacking the Shelves #1

Instead of doing monthly hauls I’m going to participate in the Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received in the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.) Most people do their’s on Saturdays but I will be doing mine on Sundays. Enjoy!

This week: February 3- February 10

Purchased
So this week I went to my local Scholastic Warehouse Sale and got a ton of books for extremely cheap so here’s what I got there:

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (paperback $4.50)


The Allegra Biscotti Collection by Olivia Bennett (paperback $1.25)


Airhead by Meg Cabot (paperback $1.50)

Plus by Veronica Chambers (paperback $1.50)


The Roar by Emma Clayton (paperback $1.25)


Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (paperback $1.50)


Epic by Conor Kostick (paperback $5.00)


Ashes by Kathryn Lasky (paperback $1.50)


Lyonesse by Sam Llewellyn (hardback $2.50)


Legend by Marie Lu (hardcover $4.00)


Clone Codes by Patricia C. McKissack (hardback $2.50)


Maximum Ride Manga 1 by James Patterson (paperback $5.00)


Maximum Ride Manga 4 by James Patterson (paperback $5.00)


The Comet’s Curse by Dom Testa (paperback $1.25)


Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (hardback $5.00)


Bogus to Bubbly by Scott Westerfeld (paperback $1.50)



For review
The Genius of Little Things by Larry Buhl (paperback, sent to me by the author)


Eternal by Virginia Hust (ebook, sent to me by the author)

(sorry about the click to look inside thing from Amazon, this is the only picture I could find of the cover)

Songbird by Syrie James (ebook, sent to me by the author)


The Look by Sophia Bennett (ebook, received through NetGalley)

Leave a comment below of your Stacking the Shelves for this week and I’ll come check it out and as always make sure to follow/subscribe!
See you soon!
Paige