My Thoughts: Wildefire (Karsten Knight)

Published: July 26, 2011

Cover: Pretty.

Goodreads Summary

My Thoughts:

I was soo excited to read this book. It has been on my wishlist for a while, and I couldn't wait for it to come out. The storyline sounded freakin' awesome, and I just knew I was going to really like it..so where did it all go wrong?

The writing was okay, the characters were eh, the plot was okay...This story had the potential to be AMAZING. A girl who turn out to be the Volcano Goddess? um.awesome! Tragically, however, me and Wildefire just did not click.

Firstly, I felt like I kept reading and reading and it took FOREVER for the plot to develop. It's not good when you keep looking to see how many more pages you have until it's over. I kept waiting for that "OMG I can't believe that just happened" moment. And that didn't come until the last page. Even then..eh.

I did not connect with any of the characters, wasn't invested in any of their lives. I felt like they were a bit generic, nothing special.  For me, if I can't connect or relate to any of the characters, it's all down-hill from there.

I also had difficulty with some of the dialogue because it just didn't fit.  In some passages I found myself thinking no. no. no. I realize the writer of this book being male and all had a daunting task trying to write the inner workings of a female main character, but I don't think he quite hit the nail on the head, so to speak. For example, the main character Ash (who's a girl) says the following to her friend (also a girl) when they are out dress shopping: "Damn, girl. You better get a defibrillator to go with the dress, because Rolfe is going to have a heart attack when he sees you in that."  Awkward.Cheesy. and not something I picture being said in this context.

With the main story line of this book being about Ashline and some of her school mates discovering they are Gods, there wasn't nearly enough detail relating to the subject. I felt like it took until the last 40 pages to really get anywhere and even then there was too much left out.  Too much time was spent on the build-up and not enough on the actual story.

So what did I like?  The whole Polynesian Volcano Goddess subject. The idea of these kids being reincarnated over and over again and not remembering their past lives.Having kick-ass powers. And it did have one of my favorite settings-boarding school.

Favorite Quotes:

"There are two types of people in this world...Those of us who fear what we cannot control, who sit in the driver's seat of life and take charge of our own fates. And then there are those who fear choice, those so burdened by the mistakes that they've made that they seek solace in what they cannot control, knowing that no matter the outcome, at least it wasn't their fault. I challenge you to figure out which one you are."

"Strange to think we spend our entire life growing up under the wings of one religion only to find out that we're actually the fruits of another. Do you still believe?"

Bottom Line: I reallyreallyreally wanted to love this book. Sadly, I was left wanting.  2.5/5

In My Mailbox #10

Head on over to The Story Siren to check out other people's In My Mailboxes.

I bought the following 4 books from Amazon:

I'm reading Wildefire right now..it's okay. Waiting for the action to start. And prolly like many other people out there I am NOT a fan of the cover of Wolfsbane. I'm not sure why the change, but it's all wrong.  Hopefully  I'll like what's between the covers.

And I bought one book for my Kindle, which was actually on my last On My Wishlist post:

So far so good.

OH I totally forgot I got one book from the library. It's the last book in one of my favorite vampire series and I am super stoked to read it.

I just finished reading Lover Awakened by JR Ward. OMG. I FREAKIN LOVED THIS BOOK! AMAZING! Best in the series thus far. I lot of people have said that Zsadist is one of their faves, and after reading this book, there's no doubt in my mind as to why. TEAM ZSADIST!  My official thoughts to come..

Too many books...not enough time!

Geez it's been a while since I posted. That's cause I've been reading like crazy. I've finished Rage and in the last week I've read City of Bones, City of Ashes, and I'm almost finished with Lover Eternal. I have a serious dilemma, I can't pick what to read next. I have Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, Lover Awakened, Darkfever, and I just picked up Last Sacrifice. And I still haven't read The Dark and Hollow Places yet. OMG. Not to mention I have 3 books coming from amazon soon that I'm dying to read.

I hope to catch up this weekend with posting my thoughts on all these awesome books I've been reading.

Stay tuned..over and out.

Top Ten Tuesday (#3)

If you're especially fond of lists like I am, head on over to The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is....
Top Ten Books You Believe Should Be Required Reading For Teens:
I've included some fun, some serious and some of my favorites.  I could only pick 10 of course, but any book that would help teens accept and understand the hardships and trials of others belongs on this list as well.

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

2. ALL the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling cause this series ROCKS!

3. Hunger and Rage  by Jackie Morse Kessler.. See my reviews.

4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

5. A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

6.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

7. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

8. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder...if you didn't already know from my various posts..it's one of my faves!

9.  Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

10.   Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson



Quite an eclectic list.

In My Mailbox #9

In my mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren..

So I checked a couple books out from the library:

So I've read book 1 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series..OMG, I HAD to get the next 2: Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened (by JR Ward).

I read a sample of the beginning of Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning on my Kindle and I'm def intrigued.

So I haven't actually read City of Bones yet..still waiting to read my library copy, but I'm anticipating loving this series so much that I went ahead and checked out book 2 as well.

And I ordered some books from Amazon:

If you order 25 dollars worth of stuff you get free shipping and handling, so I bought these. I LOVE King Arthur legends and this one was on sale..one of my favorite words.  Absolution is the 3rd book in a series by Jennifer Laurens. I own and have read the first 2.

I bought one DVD..Treasure Planet. I LOVE me some Disney and this is one of my favorites. I feel it to be underappreciated, it's quite good.

But let's be honest..the real reason I bought all that stuff was a way for me to get free shipping and handling so I could get this book:

HELL's to the YEAH!  I can't wait to read the final installment in Maggie's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Part of me wants to jump right in, and the other part wants to re-read Shiver and Linger first. Decisions decisions... I wonder how it's going to end?!?!

That's it for me..I have one delinquent book I'm waiting on from my Amazon order.

On My Wishlist (#6)

On My Wishlist is hosted over at Book Chick City. Check out her awesome blog.

Here's a small sampling of books I'm desperately wishing to read.

Beautiful Disaster (Jamie McGuire) (May 26, 2011)

Goodreads Summary:
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
Why I Want It:  Travis Maddox.

Paper, Scissors, Death (Joanna Campbell Slan) (September 1, 2008)

Goodreads Summary: 

Every scrapbook tells a story. Memories of friends, family . . .and murder?

Mousy housewife Kiki Lowenstein has two great loves: scrapbooking and her young daughter, Anya. But her happy family album is ruined when her husband, George, is found naked and dead in a hotel room. As Kiki tracks down George's murderer, she discovers his sordid secret life.

Cruel taunts by George's former flame compel Kiki to spout an unwise threat. When the woman is murdered, Kiki's scissor-sharp words make her the prime suspect. She could be creating scrapbook keepsakes for the rest of her life-behind bars. Supported by her loyal friends, along with a little help (and a lot of stomach flutters) from the dashing Detective Detweiler, can Kiki cut the true killer out of the picture and design a new life for herself and Anya?

Why I Want It: Scrapbooking and murder? Sounds like an awesome combo to me.

Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunamorte (Samantha Young) (March 1, 2011)

Goodreads Summary: Existing in the shadows of our world are supernatural races; children blessed by the ancient Greek gods with unimaginable gifts, and at present they are fighting a two thousand year old war with one another. Into this war Caia Ribeiro is born...

Caia has lived a life shrouded in mystery, isolated from her lykan pack and the supernatural world she belongs to. At seventeen years old it comes as a shock to be uprooted from her dull life playing human and plunged back into pack life. Returning to her world is not an easy one. It comes with the threat of the global underworld war, pack politics, and an impossible attraction to her Alpha, Lucien. It is also an extraordinary and addictive world, a place she feels she may actually belong. If only Caia could get past the feeling that Lucien and the pack were keeping secrets from her. Dangerous secrets about her heritage and the war. In the end… unforgiveable secrets.

Forgiven or not, when an old enemy resumes his deadly pursuit of Pack Errante, they will need Caia to come to terms with the truth in order to help save them from their powerful adversary.

Why I Want It: This book sounds awesome. And it's paranormal romance. And it's only 99 cents on the Kindle so it may be In My Mailbox soon!

My Soul To Take (Rachel Vincent) (August 1, 2009)

Goodreads Summary:
She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Why I Want It: I've read the first book in Rachel's Shifters series and I'm hooked. So of course I need to check out her other stuff.

My Thoughts: Hunger (Jackie Morse Kessler)

(The Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1)
Click here for the Goodreads Summary.

Cover: Fits the content, I like it.

My Thoughts:   "If you have ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw, this book is for you."

First off, I think the idea of this series is awesome. Taking some hardcore, serious issues, like anorexia (book 1) and cutting (book 2) and connecting them to the horsemen of the apocalypse is genius. I've never encountered another book like this one. And it was well written. Score. I was completely surprised by the length of this book, for some reason I had in my mind that it was really long. It's totally not...just 177 pages. Though I kinda wish it had been longer.

This book was honest and emotional.  I've read a lot of books where the author sugar-coats the problems or tries to de-uglify the issue. This book gave what I felt to be an honest portrayal of a girl suffering with anorexia. I felt for the character of Lisabeth, which for me is what I look for most when I read a book; a connection to the characters.  Her struggle was heart-wrenching. I could connect with a lot of her thoughts and feelings. I think there's a lot of people out there who don't like what they see in the mirror. Sometimes these feelings turn to those of disgust and worthlessness and begin to control one's life. You don't have to have struggled with anorexia to be able to relate to what Lisabeth goes through.

I don't want to get into the details of Lisabeth becoming Famine, a horseman of the apocalypse, because I won't be able to do the writing justice. But the way the author manages to relate the horseman to anorexia and show the struggle Lisabeth has with taking over this job is very creative in my opinion.
I liked the idea of Death being a young, guitar-playing rock-star, and the way the other horsemen were introduced.

 The end of this book was actually done right.  I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say it was kept real and honest, which seems to be a fitting description for this series.

Favorite Quotes:
"Living means constantly growing closer to death. Find the balance and plant your feet."

"She screwed her eyes closed and hoped that dying wouldn't hurt too much. Death seemed like a nice guy, maybe dying would be soft like a kiss. Maybe he'd sing to her before sending her on to eternal sleep."

Bottom Line: A well-written, raw, emotion-filled read.  Def recommended. 4.5/5

You can't break my spirit, it's my dreams you take.

The best music doesn't use tricks, or back tracks, or flashy dancers. It's the raw, honest, broken-down performances that touch me the most.  Here are 3 of my faves.

The Pretty Reckless-Just Tonight.  I love the grit to her voice.

Adele-Someone Like you. She's BRILLIANT.

I LOVE James Blunt. LOVE.  Every single performance I've watched of his (and I've watched a lot) he shows this amazingly honest emotion that touches your soul. You can't help but to FEEL the song.  This one in particular breaks my heart every time.



My Thoughts: Outside In (Maria V. Snyder)

Click here for the Goodreads Summary
Cover: Goes with the first book

My Thoughts:  This "review" may contain a spoiler if you haven't read the first book.
So if you read my thoughts on Inside Out you know I had trouble getting into the story, and almost quit.  Well book 2 was soo much better. I already knew the world of Inside so it was easy to get drawn right in. I finished this book quickly and while I liked it more than the first it still left a lot of unanswered questions.

The story was more developed and definitely had a lot more action and suspense.  I was not happy about Cog's fate in book 1. Even though he was hardly in the book, he was highly likable. Unlike Trella. However, in Outside In,  I found myself less annoyed with her, and she definitely showed she could be tough and that she really did care about others. My favorite character, however, is definitely Logan. He's funny, and smart, a bit nerdy, not afraid to get in on the action. The world that Maria created was very imaginative and unique and, if done right could be totally cool on the big screen.

I'm not going to get into the details of the book, you'll have to read it for that. While the end was satisfactory, I still have a LOT of unanswered questions, like where did the Insiders and Ousiders originally originate from? Who put them all on this ship? Are there people on Earth while they are in Outer Space? What exactly did the Outsiders do to be exiled? Etc.  I know that not all books can end with a well-wrapped up package of an ending....but I need to know more!

Favorite Quotes:
"My world changed in a heartbeat."

Bottom Line:  Solid second book...hoping for a book 3 to address my unanswered questions.  3/5 "stars"

Top Ten Tuesday (#2)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Authors I Would LOVE to Meet (living or dead)

1. JK Rowling- Author of the Harry Potter series. My all-time favorite books in the history of forever. I would love to meet the highly imaginative brain behind this beloved series and thank her for her magic words.
I love these books like Whoa.

2. H.P. Mallory-She has quickly become one of my newest favorite authors. I LOVE her Jolie Wilkins series, which is fun, sexy, hilarious and supernatural. Her Dulcie O'Neil series is also great. Would LOVE to meet her!

3. Maggie Stiefvater-I have loved every book I've read of hers thus far, the Wolves of Mercy Falls Series, and Lament and Ballad..plus what I've gleaned through her blog and other places she seems like a cool chick.

4. William Shakespeare-Even though I don't really read his stuff voluntarily, and would prefer to watch Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio rather than read the play...he is a bit of a genius.

5. Sarah Dessen-If you've read any of her books you know why. Love her stuff.

6. Neil Gaiman- For the fact that he wrote The Graveyard Book.

7. Whoever contributed to the writings of the Bible..yes ALL of them.

8. Suzanne Collins-The Hunger Games series is dystopian done right.

9. Stephenie Meyer-This may produce some eye rolls. No one can taint the love I have for the Twilight series and its characters, including my beloved Edward. Yeah that's right. TEAM EDWARD!

10. Dr. Seuss-I don't think an explanation is needed for this one.

So there's my list. I've never met ANY authors, so meeting any of the ones who are responsible for feeding my reading addiction, even if they aren't on this brief list, would be awesome!

My Thoughts: Inside Out (Maria V.Snyder)

Click here for the Goodreads Summary
Cover: Not bad

My Thoughts: So I had high expectations going into this book. First off it's written by Maria V. Snyder, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE her Study series, Poison Study is one of my favorite young adult books. It's magical and gripping and raw and just an amazing story.  With that, this is also dystopian, one of my new favorite genres. So I had high hopes of loving this book. Sadly, my hopes were a little crushed.

I almost quit about half-way through this book, but kept reading, which I'm glad I did because the second half made up for the first. I'm not any kind of a writer, but I can imagine that dystopian fiction can be tricky because you have this whole entirely different world that you have to introduce your reader to.  There has to be a balance with presenting a thousand new details about a world that can be quite confusing and overwhelming or just plain boring if not done well. 

At the start of the book, I couldn't get into the world of Inside and I wasn't a fan of the main character Trella, who I initially found to be very juvenile and just rubbed me the wrong way. In this particular book I liked the supporting characters much more.  The writing flowed differently from that of Poison Study and I just didn't find myself immersed right away.

All that being said, I'm glad I kept reading, because the second half picked up on the action and grabbed my attention back.  Also by the end I did become invested in the world of Inside and the characters whose lives were ruled by it. 

Favorite Quotes:
"I let the waves of anguish pound in my chest. Abandoned and alone I rode my emotions as I would surf in a water pipe, allowing the force of liquid to take control. Eventually I fought for control and won. I shoved the sadness deep within me , locked it down and focused on the present."

"I squashed my fears and worries into a small metal box and dropped in the shattered remains of my heart for good measure. Locked with an obnoxiously big lock, I pushed the container into a far corner of my thoughts."

"My whole future depended on so many ifs and hopes and assumptions and possibilities that I would consider it impossible right now if I thought about it too much."

Bottom Line: Saved by the second-half, intrigued enough to read book two.  3/5 "stars"

In My Mailbox (#8) DvD Edition

So no new books for me this week, although I just put in an order to Amazon..pre-ordered Forever by Maggie Stiefvater and ordered a few others.
So yesterday at Target I got a little crazified with the dvd buying (and one cd). I was like, oh that's on sale, oh that's only 5 dollars, oh 2 seasons together for 10 dollars! You get the drift.. added up it's not so cheap.  Usually I'm pretty careful with my money, except when it comes to 2 things: books and dvd's. And I am a complete sucker for a bargain/deal/sale.
Here's my loot:

Tv: Seasons 1 & 2 of Will &Grace
    Season 1 of King of Queens
Movies: Easy A
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
A League of Their Own
CD: Adele (21)

And there you have it.  I just finished Outside In by Maria V. Snyder, my thoughts to come. I'm currently reading Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler.

My Thoughts: The Replacement (Brenna Yovanoff)

Click here for the Goodreads summary.
Cover: Creepy. Haunting. Original. I dig it.

 My Thoughts: I found the basic premise of this book very intriguing. A boy who is deathly allergic to iron and blood, trying to survive in a world where he doesn't belong.  I read some positive reviews for this book and the quote from Maggie Stiefvater on the front cover (who is one of my favorite authors)  was enough to make me borrow it from the library.
 It took me a good while to really get into this book. Maybe it was because every time I was reading it was either in a car or around people when they were talking or on the beach where there were a lot of distractions. But I found myself constantly putting it down.

I identified with the main character Mackie somewhat, his feelings of isolation, loneliness, outcast, not belonging anywhere. But I didn't fully make that reader-main character connection that I am always looking for.  I didn't really understand the whole Tate-Mackie relationship. It was very awkward and disjointed for me. I found myself really liking the supporting character of Roswell, the idea of having a completely loyal friend who never lets you down or questions your actions, just accepts you as you are is quite a foreign concept to me.
As far as the writing, even though I found myself confused at parts, there were some very hauntingly beautiful passages, and descriptions. I marked like 15 quotes that really stuck with me.  The ending was okay, a bit predictable, but satisfying.

Favorite Quotes:  "I wanted to kiss her and not in the pure, longing way you want to kiss someone. I wanted it the way you sometimes want to jump into very cold water, even though you know it won't feel good. I wanted to go numb. To see what it felt like to be someone else."

"It was the sound of being outside, of being alien. It was the pulse that ran under everything and never let you forget that you were strange, that the world hurt just to touch. Feelings too complicated to ever say in words, but they spilled out of the amplifiers, seeping into the air, and filling up the room."

"...when you love someone, sometimes it means that they strip you down, peel you open, and you have to let them and not worry about how much it's going to hurt."

Bottom Line: Good book, with passages that spoke to my soul.  3.5/5

Vacation Recap: Outer Banks, North Carolina

This was my third year going to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a week, and it was just what I needed. To me, the beach is my version of Heaven. The sand, the waves, the water, the salty smell, the peaceful, relaxed feeling...bliss. I really want to move there, but finding employment is presenting quite a challenge.

The first day of my trip I ate some alligator tail. It tasted like chewy chicken with a fishy aftertaste. Everyone else liked it, but it pretty much skeeved me out.

Day 2 we were at the beach and there was an incredibly gorgeous, tanned, quintessential "Baywatch" lifeguard. He kindly removed his shirt for a dip in the ocean to cool off while we were in the water. I had an overwhelming urge to get a cramp in my leg. Sadly, I chickened out.

Day 3 at the ocean I got intimate with jellyfish. Not by choice mind you. This is the first time I've been to the Outer Banks when the water was just FULL of jellies. In the past there would be an occasional dead one washed up on the beach. But there were so many jellies in the water you constantly felt them rubbing against your legs without your consent and could just scoop them out of the water. The little kids on the beach were collecting the dead ones in their buckets.  When you got out of the water you had to empty your pockets and check your suit for lurkers. They luckily didn't sting, but I would have been okay without getting that close to them. Luckily they were only bad that one day.

Day 4 we went to Outerbarx which is a store catered for dog lovers (and cat). They make organic human-grade treats for dogs and they let me sample a Wisconsin cheddar dog biscuit. A bit bland for my taste, but Chloe, the English Mastiff that was with us wasn't so picky.

There was lots of shopping, buying stuff I don't need. I love going to all the beachy shops. We went to one particular shop in Maneo called the The Christmas Shoppe and it was AMAZING. Not just Christmas stuff...hard to describe the awesomeness inside. I can't wait to go back.

(Cool beachy bookmarks)

Turtle soap dish and starfish incense holder.

My new drink cozie. Guess I'll be doing a LOT of drinking.

We went to Jeanette's Pier one day, which was cool. People were inadvertently catching skates and sting rays off the end. Years ago a man caught a 700 pound Hammerhead shark and a 600 pound other shark off the pier. One day the people in my group decided that the usual area we went swimming was too crowded, so let's go swim at the beach RIGHT BESIDE THE PIER where the SHARKS were caught. Smart thinking.  I kept waiting for jaws to sneak attack me.

This incredibly skinny girl caught 2 skates at once! She had to throw them back thank goodness.

Overall a wonderful, relaxing vacation that, like usual, went by too quickly. For all the people that get to live by the ocean year-round I am insanely envious.

I end with a picture of Chloe...she thinks she's human.