An Unpleasant Surprise

Look carefully to fully understand what exactly it is you're looking at below.

That's right! It's a SECURITY DEVISE placed right in the middle of my book. I did not discover this until I was already reading and fully involved! And it's just stuck there, right in the middle of the page, blocking words!! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH IT?!? Read around it or try and peel it off with the risk of ripping the precious page of Lauren Oliver's Delirium? What a dilemma!

I know you're going out of business Borders but do you really have try and ruin books during your demise? You're lucky it came right off and that the adhesive was not permanent or else we would have a problem! **Sigh of relief**

The end.

Review-Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Title: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Author: Beth Fantaskey

Published by: Harcourt

Pages: 351

Rating: 4/5

Find it here: Goodreads, Amazon

Blurb:

Marrying a vampire definitely does not fit into Jessica Packwood's senior year "get-a-life" plan. But then a bazaar(and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth-and he's her long lost fiancée. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader set her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war-and save Lucius' soul from eternal destruction.

My thoughts:

This book was so much more than I expected. Although it starts off a little Twilight-ish and I kind of had a bit of deja-vu while reading the first chapter or so, it totally takes off in another dark yet equally hilarious direction.

What I loved most about this book is that the reader is given a glimpse into Lucuis' mind and is shown a little bit how he thinks and feels. Not only did this add to the seriousness of the story but it also gave the most hilarious insight on how some foreigners view Americans and the frivolity of teenage life. I have to say that these were my favorite parts of the book.

Lucius' character is really a true gentleman and always has Jess' best interest at heart. His endless chivalry and extremely proper manners left me wanting to find some semblance of a man like that in reality. What woman does not want a man to defend her honor, bring out her true confidence and beauty all with a European accent? Can you say totally HOT!!!??!

Jessica's true character, confidence and intentions really come out in the end and she shows Lucius just how strong she really is. She is a very powerful character and I can't wait to see what she does in Jessica Rules the Dark Side!

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating! For more information and participation, check out her blog!

This week I chose 2 because I just could not decide which one I should focus on! The first one I chose is Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey because Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side just absolutely blew me away. It was completely different than anything I was expecting (review coming soon)! The second one is Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn which is the sequel to Siren which I read a couple weeks ago. Siren was so good and I now have a new obsession with mermaids or "sirens". Release dates:

Jessica Rules the Dark Side: January 9, 2012

Undercurrent: July 12, 2011

Blurb: Jessica Rules the Dark Side

When Jessica Packwood found out that she was a Romanian Vampire princess, she had the shock of her teenage life. Turns out that was the easy part. Now, married to prince Lucius Vladescu, she has to claim her throne and convince a vampire nation she's fit to be their queen. But Jess can't even order a decent meal from her castle's Romanian staff, let alone deal with devious undead subjects who would love to see her fail.

And when Lucius is accused of murdering a vampire Elder and imprisoned without the blood he needs, Jessica finds herself alone, fighting for both their survivals.

Desperate to clear her husband's name and win his release, Jess enlists the help of her best friend Mindy and Lucius' mysterious Italian cousin Raniero. But both of them are keeping some dark secrets. Can Jess figure out who to trust-and how to rise power-before she loses everything, including the vampire she loves?

Blurb: Undercurrent

After losing her sister and finding out who-or what-she really is, Vanessa returns home for her senior year. Everyone at Hawthorne Prep has questions about her tragic summer, but knowing who to open up to is impossible. As she walks the halls without Justine for the very first time, Vanessa has more to worry about than just making a new life her herself.

Because the sirens are out for revenge. To protect herself and the ones she loves, Vanessa must call on powers she believes she has but does not know how to use. To learn, she'll have to seek help from the only person who truly knows her. But first, she must admit the truth about her true identity.

Review-Once a Witch

Title: Once a Witch

Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Published by: Clarion Books

Pages: 292

Rating: 4/5

Find it here: Amazon, GoodReads

Blurb:

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search-and the stranger-will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all.

My thoughts:

Once a Witch is about a girl who feels completely left out of her family because she is one of the only ones who does not have a Talent. In an attempt to show then that she is not absolutely useless, she agrees to help a professor find his lost family heirloom. She enlists the help of Gabriel who, by the way, sounds drop dead gorgeous and he is totally into her. Together they travel though time and figure out what has really been going on with the family.

I loved this book. It was so fun to read and there was action at every turn. I also loved that they time traveled. Since I love the idea of being able to go back and forth through time and the notion that you can change aspects of the future from the past, I was having a lot of fun reading Once a Witch.

I also liked the characters names. They were so unusual and the sister's name is Rowena, which is my middle name and also very uncommon. I definitely recommend this book for young adult and supernatural readers alike.

**Very short review, about to lose internet :/ **

It's Monday! What are you reading? (04 April 2011)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Book Journey! For more information, follow the link and check out her blog!

Last week I read:

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Currently reading:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Blurb:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love-the deliria-blooms in your blood, there is no escaping it's hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Also reading this week:

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

What are you reading this week?

Review-The Goddess Test

Title: The Goddess Test

Author: Aimee Carter

Published: 26 April 2011

Pages: 297

Rating: 4/5

Received from NetGalley

Synopsis provided by GoodReads:

Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom-and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld-and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy-until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

My thoughts:

The Goddess Test is somewhat of a modern retelling of Greek mythology or a "what would happen if the Greek myths were real and all or most of the gods still existed". The basic gist is that Henry feel in love with Persephone thousands and thousands of years ago but has since died and Henry now needs someone to rule the underworld with him. In order to become a goddess, Kate must pass all seven tests to receive immortality if this is going to happen.

I really enjoyed reading this book partly because the story was awesome and partly because I haven't read many books based on Greek mythology. The story grabbed right from the beginning and I had a hard time putting it down, which is probably why I read it in one day! I have a hard time even dealing with the thought of family members dying so I was pretty much crying in the first few chapters of the book.

I love that there were twists and turns all throughout the book and it constantly kept me guessing. If I could give a theme to this book it would be: Nothing is as it seems! Carter writes with such flow and ease it was not hard to just fly through the book. And I loved the ending! It was definitely a good book and a series I would continue reading!

Book Blogger Hop (4) and Follow Friday

The Book Blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love for the written word. This is an amazingly fun weekly event hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books! Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View. For more information, participation and rules, hop on over and join the fun!

This week's hop question is:

Since it is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank that you have ever played on someone or that someone has played on you?

Well, last year, my supervisor, my supervisor's boss and I got together and decided to make everyone believe that my supervisor had been fired and that I'd been given her position. My supervisor played this prank to the nines. She made a whole scene of packing up her desk, yelling at her boss saying that she hated this place and she even threw her agency phone at him. Almost the whole company believed that she had been fired. The whole time, I'm sitting at her cleared away desk, pretending to read a training manual for her position, trying to keep a straight face!

This week's follow features Books Ahoy! And this week's follow question is:

What is the book that you really don't want to admit to loving?

I'm usually not afraid to admit that I love all the books that are my favorite. I guess the only series that I can really think of is Twilight. I read them before the movies, before I started my blog and before I really dedicated myself to reading YA; Twilight sort of perpetuated all that. After I really got into the YA genre, I read a lot of books that overshadowed Twilight, making me second guess how much I really loved them. But after I read them I loved, loved, loved them and I still do; I've just read some really great books since then!