Livinginabookwonderland

This review can also be found here I was not a fan of this book. When I first read the description, I figured it would be completely awesome since I've really been into space books recently and I couldn't wait to start this one. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations and I didn't end up loving it like I thought I would.The story moved way to slowly for me and I found myself bored and not really caring what happened. It seemed like nothing really happened until the book was almost over and the plot dragged along. There were also topics that were pretty hard to understand and should have been explained more, like the act of divesting.The characters were another huge disappointment for me. They weren't as developed as they could have been and I really only liked David. I really found myself disliking Zee. She let a guy jeopardize everything she had been working for and let him distract her from every other important thing in her life. The only thing that really caught my attention was David's real reason for being on Earth which was revealed at the end of the book. While it was interesting and created drama and suspense it simply wasn't enough to make me want to read the next book to find out what happens.

This review can also be found here Actual rating: 2.5I liked this book, I really did. I just wasn't in love with it. As someone who loves poetry I think I was expecting something different. Quite a few of the poems were quite funny and relatable. Others were good but I just didn't feel a connection with them.The author does a wonderful job of making the poems funny but adding a moral or something that people should learn into each one. I really liked this aspect and it really added to the meaning and feelings of the poems and what they were all about.There were some spelling and grammar mistakes but these were minor and didn't make the poems hard to understand or detract from the overall book. This book may be good for those who are intimidated by poetry but want to read it. This book is really easy to read and doesn't take very long. For the most part each poem is pretty short and no more than a single page, a few take up 2-3 pages but are still quite easy to understand and follow. If you want to give poetry a try, I think this may be a good book to start with. It's funny and also offers meaning and morals behind the hilarious words.The question is, will I be checking out works by this author in the future? I think I will. Although I wasn't totally crazy about this collection of poems, I think there was a lot of potential and I am looking forward to seeing how his poems grow and evolve in the future.This copy was received from the author for review purposes and did not effect my opinions in any way. The opinions expressed in this review were mine alone.

This review can also be found here I absolutely loved this one. It had so many elements that I enjoy all wrapped up into one *humongous* book. It had mystery, suspense and awesome characters along with many more. This book was intimidating by the sheer size alone but I am so glad that I finally decided just to read it even if it ended up taking a while. It was so engaging however, that it only took me about a week to get through 578 pages.I love books set in the 1920's. It's one of my favorite time periods to read about especially when it's set in New York and features speak-easies. There's just something that is so fun about the time and when a crazy killer is thrown into the mix then it just becomes even better.I really liked Evie. She was so sassy and she did what she wanted to without worrying about the consequences. That being said she was still rather intelligent and she knew how to have fun. I was really hoping that she would get together with Jericho, but there is always the sequel to see where things will go between those two. Speaking of Jericho, I did not see that revelation about him coming. I would never have guessed that was what was up with him, I honestly thought he was a diviner.I found myself alternating between hoping that Naughty John would make another appearance and praying that he wouldn't. He was a really cool character but he honestly really creeped me out. That whole rhyme that goes with his name? Had me freaked out at night and yet I couldn't stop saying it to myself.If you're a fan of ghost stories as well as the glitz and glamor of the roaring 20's then I definitely recommend this one. Libba Bray definitely knows how to mix the two and keep it true to the time period while adding the elements that make this novel exciting and downright creepy at times. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next!

This review can also be found hereI really enjoyed this story. The beginning was a little slow for me because I wasn't really a huge fan of all the fashion talk, but once Schuyler found out she was a vampire the story really picked up. I was a huge fan of the vampires in this story. They seemed different from other vampires and I really liked the twist the author put in the story.Throughout the story I was constantly trying to figure out who was killing off the young vampires and I must say I never guessed until it was revealed. I really liked who it ended up being because it made the story even more interesting. I loved Schuyler. She was smart and different and she didn't try to conform to what everyone else was doing. I really liked that about her. She was a highly interesting character and I loved how when she was told not worry about what was killing off the vampires she jumped headlong into the mystery just to try and figure it out. Oliver was my favorite. He was such a great friend and he cared deeply for Schuyler. I kind of kept hoping that Schuyler would end up with Oliver but at the same time I don't think it would be a good idea.If you're like me and you love vampire stories I definitely recommend checking this one out. The take on vampires is pretty different and the story is engaging and full of suspense. I will definitely be continuing with this series and I cannot wait to see what happens to Schuyler and her friends next.

This review can also be found here Actual rating is 3.5 starsI really liked this book, honestly but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I've heard amazing things about this novel and I guess it just didn't live up to the high expectations I went into it with. I liked the way that the story was told in letter written by Charlie and that I really got to see the way he thought and saw things. I was definitely surprised by how naïve Charlie was. He didn't know things that other kids his age were aware of until his friends told him about them. Another thing was how Charlie seemed to cry about everything. Charlie was a sensitive kid, I get that but it seemed a little extreme that no matter if someone was nasty with him or did something really sweet, his first reaction was to cry.Even with all of his faults I really liked Charlie. He was a smart kid and only wanted some friends. He was a sweet kid who was always there to listen but like Sam had an issue with him not taking action so did I. I was just hoping that for once he would do something that made him happy instead of trying to make everyone else happy before him. I loved Sam. She was one of my favorite characters. She was fun and knew how to have a good time. The same went for Patrick. If I had known kids like them in high school they would have definitely been the one's I hung out with.The whole revelation towards the end of the story about his aunt was surprising. I honestly didn't see it coming and it really explained a lot about Charlie and why he acted and did things the way he did. I would definitely recommend this to anyone to at least read once in their life. It's a great story about finding friends while finding yourself along the way. In the end, I just wish that I had loved this as much as I thought I was going to.

This review can also be found hereI was not a fan of this book at all. I heard that if Stephen King wrote YA that it would be this book, and honestly it really wouldn't be. I love ghost stories and I was prepared to be creeped out since the description sounded really interesting and creepy but it left me bored.I wasn't surprised with this book at all. None of the twists were surprising at all and it ended up turning into a book that I went through as quick as I could just to get it over with. I didn't like the characters or the ghost aspects or even the killer shadow. I felt that everything could have been more interesting but it just fell flat for me.I did not like Jane, she was boring and annoying. She was constantly getting on my nerves because she got annoyed that her parents were keeping such a close eye on her. I honestly can't blame them she's come close to dying numerous times and every single time the damage looks like it was self inflicted. So I'm sorry if I don't sympathize with your frustration because your parents are afraid that something is going to happen to you. Don't even get me started on her best friend Lexi. She was just as annoying as Jane, if not more. She was supposed to be creepy and odd but I just found her character to be dull and boring. It was like her personality wasn't completely fleshed out and that is something that really bothers me.Overall, this book was a bust for me. I was expecting a quick paced, creepy mystery and what I got instead was a book that bored me to tears and I couldn't wait for it to end. If you like ghost stories but aren't into ones that make it so you can't sleep then maybe this one is for you. I on the other hand like books that have me lying awake, thinking about what may or may not be in the dark.

This review can also be found here.I enjoyed this book just as much as the first one, maybe even a bit more. Dom finally realizes that she doesn't need a guy to feel good about herself and she spends her summer not worrying about her ex or their breakup. She meets a guy named Guy and her reckless and carefree side comes out, but she still manages to be safe when it comes to the sex aspect.This is the book that looks at what happens after all of those firsts that she had in the previous novel. We get to see another side of Dom, where she isn't struggling over trying to make someone happy and saying the right thing. She's just living in the moment and enjoying her life.For the most part I really enjoyed the characters in this book as well. Dom has really matured and she now realizes that she doesn't need a man and can still have fun even while single. Amy, her best friend, is still just as wild and hilarious as well. She's still extremely carefree and some of the best scenes have her in them. I wasn't that big of a fan of Guy. Sure he was attractive and intelligent but at times I thought he was a complete jerk. It seemed like he wasn't willing to put the time in after the summer with Dom so he'd just let her go. I absolutely loved Calvin, he's Dom's friend from Toulane and he's the biggest sweetheart. I admit I was hoping they would end up together but I am kind of glad that they didn't just jump into a relationship.This is a great sequel and I definitely recommend that every girl checks out this series. It's honest and real but it's also funny at the same time. This is a book that I will definitely be re-reading in the future and I will be keeping an eye out for Daria Snadowsky's future works.

This review can also be found hereI've seen this book around quite a bit but for some reason I always found a reason to put it down. So when I got a review request from the author I jumped on the chance immediately and I am so glad I did. This book was funny, adorable and heartbreaking at the same time.This book isn't just about sex. It's about a bunch of firsts. Like Dominique's first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first love, her first time and even her first heartbreak. Going in I knew there would probably be quite a bit of sex discussed so I prepared myself for that when I accepted the review request. There was quite a bit discussed but it was done in a very tasteful way and it didn't get trashy but managed to work in a way that a lot of books seriously miss.Daria Snadowsky really managed to capture the feelings that surround these firsts. The magical feeling of your first kiss as well as having your first boyfriend. The heartbreak surround your first breakup was what I found to be most relatable, since I went through a rough breakup during high school. The way this book was written really had you feeling Dominique's emotions and experiencing all of these firsts.I liked Dominique at times, while at other points she bothered me. She was smart and focused in the beginning, completely knowing what she wanted to do in life. But when she met Wesley it seemed that all of this went out the window and her focus shifted to him entirely, which does happen with a first love but she went to extremes. She got to the point where she wasn't spending time with her family just so she could spend more time with him. She also became rather clingy where in the beginning she was independent. In the end however, I did enjoy her character since she read like a real girl who was dealing with all of these things. Then there was Wesley. He was the adorable shy guy that had no experience and who was completely sweet. I really liked him until the end. He ended up really hurting Dominique and didn't even have the guts to do it to her face.All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I think everybody should give this a shot because it truly is a great book that does talk about a lot of things that girls are dealing with in high school. The things that happened in this book are extremely true to life and are pretty realistic.This copy was received from the author for review purposes and did not effect my opinions in any way. The opinions expressed in this review were mine alone.

This review can also be found here This book has one of the creepiest covers ever. I absolutely love it. This story sounds like it would be pretty creepy right? Well it is, in some parts at least but it's also very sweet and romantic as well. This is one of those books that I had to put down at night, solely due to the fact that reading ghost stories at night bothers me. I would however rush to pick it back up in the morning. This is a book that I won't be able to get out of my head for a while.Just the first like of the description "Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story" was enough to draw my attention. I knew going in that this would probably end up being somewhat of a romance and it really did a great job of that by not taking over the entire storyline.The ghost aspect was really refreshing, instead of the main character being afraid of ghosts or just being haunted by one, he actually sought them out to "kill" them. This really made the story interesting and the whole time I was wondering whether or not Cas would really be able to "kill" Anna. The characters really helped make this book for me. Cas was an independent guy who wasn't part of mainstream society. He worked in the dark and kept himself distanced from people mainly because of what he did every night. He's actually a pretty sweet and caring person once Thomas and Carmel managed to get past his anti-social shell. Thomas was an interesting one. He was so shy and withdrawn yet he had this personality that just made me like him. Carmel seemed like such a snob in the beginning but as the story goes on we find out that she's actually much deeper than that. I loved Anna. Her story is so tragic and the things that she does are horrible. Yet there is so much humanity left inside of this girl who had everything taken away, she actually feels regret.The story is emotional as well. There is the one scene where we finally learn Anna's whole story and believe me it's a sad one. I found myself getting upset and angry over the fate that she met and I kept rooting for her as the story progressed. The story had a shocking twist as well, I didn't see a lot of the things coming that happened and for that I was really happy, who wants a predictable ghost story anyway?I absolutely loved Anna Dressed in Blood and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. If you like ghost stories then I definitely recommend checking this one out. Even if you aren't that big of a fan of ghost stories, I still recommend this, there are plenty of other aspects to this story like romance, mystery and suspense.

This review can also be found here The idea of a group of people being able to control elements was a pretty new idea to me (I've only read one other book series where characters had control over the elements and that was Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead) and I have to say it was very interesting and I was pretty impressed. I liked that beside the fact that they had these powers they were completely normal humans.The story had me drawn in from the very first page and I stayed up late reading this because I had to know what happened next. This was one of those books where I had to know what happened and yet at the same time I didn't want it to be over. After I finished the last page I almost turned back to the beginning and read it over again (though I had to restrain myself since other books needed to get read).The whole time I kept praying Chris and Becca would get together. I definitely didn't see a couple things coming in this one but I won't mention them here since they are major spoilers. The action had me on the edge of my seat and when the revelations started I couldn't believe I didn't see these things coming. I loved the Merrick brothers, each of them was so different. Michael was very caring and protective of his younger brothers even if they didn't see it that way. Gabriel was fiery, he did things before he thought about them and didn't really care about the consequences. Nick was the peacekeeper, he was calm and collected and seemed to be the most logical and rational out of all of them. Chris seemed to be torn between losing control and staying logical. He had moments of both where he didn't think and then other moments where he thought everything through and was very logical. Becca was an interesting character, she was vulnerable and yet at the same time she had a inner strength that really came out as the book went on. I think everybody should at least give this book a try. It has a lot of action and fighting plus some pretty sweet romance. These characters all have flaws and struggles that make them easy to relate to and I can't wait to continue with this series to see what the characters have to deal with next.

This review can also be found here This book was absolutely hilarious. I used those little colorful post-it tabs to mark off funny passages and lines throughout the book and by the end there were quite a few of them. This is definitely a fun read and not one to take too seriously.Voodoo is always an interesting subject but throw in a couple teens and ridiculous shenanigans and it becomes even better. Some of the situations these kids got into had me cracking up. The FAQ's in the very beginning were even funny. And the book even has an intermission in the middle where the author tells you to go read The Hunger Games again. How cool is that?I did have an issue with this however. The characters weren't too fleshed out and it made it hard to relate to them. They seemed kind of two dimensional to me, but I guess since this book was supposed to be pure humor it's not that big of a deal. While this book is definitely humorous and is great for some laughs I do warn you against letting younger teens read this. There is a lot of blood and gore and if you aren't into that then this book probably isn't the one for you.

This review can also be found hereIf you saw my review of In Your Dreams earlier this year you will know that I really enjoyed the book and was super excited to read this one. I can honestly say that I loved this one even more than the first and am now anxiously awaiting the third book. The ending that this book left off on had me wishing the next book was out.I found the plot to be even more exciting in this one and I thought that would be hard to accomplish after the ending of In Your Dreams. It happened though and this one completely exceeded my expectations. I also found the characters to be even more fleshed out in this installment. I still loved Zip, she's still the same funny girl who we were introduced to in the previous book and she really is becoming one of my favorite characters. Kieran is still the same lovable guy, but this time he's dealing with issues that are effecting his happy disposition. Kayla is the character that really surprised me in this one. You never really find out too much about her in the first book but a lot of things are revealed about her in this one and you really start to feel for her. She's sarcastic and witty and completely protective of her older brother. The newest character Cooper is the one I actually didn't like. He may have had the same sleeping disorder as Kieran but he was the complete opposite. I found him to be annoying and egotistical and he just gave me some weird vibes. I can't wait to see where things lead to with him in the next book.If you like stories that don't include the supernatural plots that a lot of YA books contain, then you should definitely check this one out. The characters are so real and relatable and the issues that they deal with really make you feel for them. Plus there aren't too many YA books out there that deal with sleeping disorders. Amy Martin is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to see where she takes this story next and any other works she comes out with in the future.This copy was received from the author for review purposes and did not effect my opinions in any way. The opinions expressed in this review were mine alone.

This review can also be found here.When I was contacted by the author and asked to review this book I was extremely excited. There aren't too many books out there that combine science fiction with clean romance. I am also glad that this book didn't disappoint. It was enjoyable and fast paced. The characters were interesting and had a lot of depth and the story was definitely interesting.I am a fan of novels that take place in space and have people from Earth taken to other planets. For a part of this book the story takes place on a space ship that is heading to a distant planet where a competition will take place to find a bride for the prince of the planet. I loved how the author combined futuristic elements with that of things that can be seen today (like a monarchy).I loved the characters. Lynn was interesting and head-strong and she did what she thought was right even though it clashed with the customs on this new planet she was living on. Kyle was completely swoon worthy. He was kind and strong. Intelligent and caring. He was all around the perfect guy and I'm kind of hoping that if Lynn doesn't win the competition, that her and Kyle become a couple. We also see a lot of Lynn's "slaves", though this is what they technically are, she treats them as friends. They all have different personalities and really stand apart from one another.I did have a few issues with this book, however. It took a while to get used to some of the items and words being used dealing with the other planet. Once I began to understand however it got easier. My other big issue was the grammatical errors and typo's. They weren't anything that made it impossible to understand the story by minor things such as using the word "suite" where the word should have been "suit".All in all, I definitely plan on reading the next book when it is released. It was action packed and had some good edge of the seat moments that had me turning the pages desperate to find out what would happen next. I recommend this if you're a fan of sci-fi space travel stories.This copy was received from the author for review purposes and did not effect my opinions in any way. The opinions expressed in this review were mine alone.

This review can also be found here.There was just something about this book that drew me in and kept me hooked. Maybe it was dual POV's or maybe it was the fact that we were hearing a story within the book. The book is in two different views: Duncan and Tim, and I found both boys to be wonderful characters.The suspense in this book kept me going and had me on the edge of my seat. I had to know what happened. Throughout the book you get hints that something terrible happened the previous year and by those points you just can't put the book down simply because you have to know. When I got to the point where everything was revealed however, I didn't want to read it because I knew the book would soon end and I really didn't want that to happen.Like Duncan I found myself hooked, needing to know exactly how things would play out. From the beginning I knew it wouldn't be good but I really was expecting the worst. When it came to that point I was expecting this whole disaster that Duncan is somehow the cause of since he blames himself throughout the whole book but in the end it shows us that we all make choices and we have to live with them, perhaps for the rest of our lives.I liked almost every character in this book. That rarely happens. I think Mr. Simon was my favorite. Even though he's just the teacher who assigns the Tragedy Paper I felt that he played a bigger role in this story than any of the characters even realized. Then there was Tim, he was the outcast. He was intelligent and kind. Vanessa I wasn't really too pleased with. What was up with how she acted nice toward Tim one minute and then the next it was like she couldn't bother to be seen with him? She was almost as bad as her boyfriend Patrick who I did not like at all. He was self-centered, egotistical and just a complete jerk. Duncan had to be my second favorite character out of all of them. He was so torn up about what had happened the previous year that he felt like he owed it to Tim just to listen to his story, this went so far that it began to completely take over his life. All in all the characters all had surprising depth.This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. As soon as I finished I wanted to go back to page one and re-read the book all over again. This book shows us that tragedies don't always have to have a tragic ending. They don't have to be bleak and foreboding, they can be full of hope as well.

This review can also be found hereThe premise of this book sounded like something I would really enjoy. Secrets and murder in Renaissance Venice? That sounds cool right? Unfortunately, I really didn't like it. I had to force myself just to keep reading since it didn't hold my interest and the characters really bothered me.Let's start off with Cass. She was supposed to be intelligent, but I thought the choices she made and the things she did were pretty stupid. She finds out that there is a murderer running around killing young women and she thinks it's smart to go running around at night with a guy she met like 2 days before. That doesn't seem like the brightest or safest thing someone could do. Then we have Falco. I'm sorry but I just found him creepy. I can't even talk about the things he does, it's extremely spoilery but I guess it's better than what I thought he was doing to begin with. He was secretive and Cass had to practically force information out of him, but he wasn't nearly as creepy or insufferable as Cass' fiancé, Luca. Luca is suspicious from the moment we are introduced to him. Everything he does seems to scream "I am up to no good", I didn't trust him at all and I found him to be quite controlling. If the characters weren't enough to turn me off, the insta-love was. Cass met Falco and practically 2 days later she was "in love with him" and he was the exact same way. Even when all of the suspicious stuff with him started happening and she found out he was lying, she was still convinced she loved him. I'm sorry, but no. There is no way that you fell in love with a guy that you know practically nothing about. He could be a psychopath for all you know.The one thing that did save this book for me was the revelation about who the killer was. I did not see that coming. I had been guessing throughout the whole book who it would turn out to be and I did not guess correctly. In the end this book just wasn't for me. The writing style is very good but the book just didn't hold my attention. I was expecting more mystery than there was and I just had trouble relating to the characters. 

This review can also be found here I have had this book since February and just finally read it. I loved this book, possibly even more than Cinder. Marissa Meyer is a genius, I love her books and the way she does fairytale retellings is phenomenal. The twist on Little Read Riding Hood was done so well and the plot and story was just as engaging as Cinder.This book follows Scarlet for the most part as she is on a mission to find her grandmother who she believes was kidnapped. We follow her as she searches for her missing grandmother and finds herself in a bit of trouble. We do get to see some of our old favorites such as Cinder and Emperor Kai and even someone who is nobody's favorite by any means, Queen Levana. We also get to meet some new characters as well such as Scarlet, Thorne and Wolf. The combination of the new and the old was interesting and really added well to the storyline.I have to say I found Scarlet to be refreshing. She was totally kick-butt and didn't put up with crap from anyone. She had her own opinions and was not afraid to speak her mind. I loved Cinder, do not get me wrong, but she had the tendency to hide when things got rough. We get introduced to Wolf in this installment and all I can say is I absolutely love him. He's tough and protective. Yet at the same time he's shy and timid. He's just such a complex character and I did not see that twist coming with him. Finally we have Captain Carswell Thorne. I may actually like him more than Emperor Kai. He's funny and is always joking. He has a good time with everything and he may be dirty but it's hard not to laugh when he's talking. I was actually kind of hoping something would blossom between him and Cinder but there's always a chance right?This installment had everything I could ever want. There was action and fight scenes as well as some totally sweet romance. Things got tense in certain parts and I was on the edge of my seat turning pages to find out how things were going to go and what was about to happen next.Like with Cinder last year, I was swept up in the story and had a hard time putting the book down. When it ended I really didn't want it to be over and now I have to wait until 2014 until the next installment into this riveting and wonderful series.