Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also because the covers are always amazing!

I just finished The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan yesterday and I'm on this zombie kick. I'm really interested in reading the various different and unique worlds of zombies that authors can create. So, this week I chose Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. The cover is gorgeous and it sounds pretty good!

As far as romantic pairings go in the year 2195, you don't get much more unlikely than an upper-class schoolgirl and a poor minor from enemy tribes. Filter in the fact that he's a zombie, and you're definitely talking about star-crossed love.

Dearly, Departed is a cyber-Victorian/steampunk romance that takes place in the shadows of a new ice age. Nora Dearly, a mouthy teenage girl and apparent orphan, leaves school for Christmas-only to be dragged into the night by the living dead. Luckily for her, though, the good ones got to her first. From her reanimated rescuers she learns that not only zombies are roaming the countryside, but that her father is one-and that he's in terrible trouble. She also meets Captain Brian Griswold, a noble, strong, and rather sweet undead boy for whom she starts to fall.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Pamela Roe, is just trying to carry on with life as best she can in the wake of Nora's disappearance-when she ends up killing an evil zombie in self-defense. Pam is galvanized into action and ends up leading a group of survivors as the city of New London is thronged by the ravenous dead.

Upon hearing of Pamela's plight, Nora and Bram set out to rescue her friends, find her missing father, and maybe just save what's left of the world.

What are you waiting for?

Teaser Tuesday (7)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. It includes two sentences from your current read without any spoilers!

I'm just about to start Legacy by Cayla Kluver so I decided that I will just give you guys the first two sentences in the book!

"The first boy disappeared on the day of his birth, on a night when the pale yellow moon that ruled the sky turned red and bathed the heavens in the ghastly color of blood, the same night the Empire of Cokyri abruptly ceased its merciless attack. Across the land of Hytanica, in the villages, infant boys continued to vanish." pg. 11

I'm so excited to dive right into this book! It sounds amazing!!

Review- Ultraviolet

Title: Ultraviolet

Author: R.J. Anderson

Publisher: Orchard

Rating: 3/5

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: ARC via Netgalley

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori-the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

My thoughts:

I was completely unaware of what I was getting myself into when I started reading Ultraviolet. Not only was it a mystery, but it was a huge dive into the world of psychology. Have you ever wondered if numbers have personalities or if you could taste words or see sounds? I would have to say that the mixing of the senses was my favorite part of the book. The way that the main character would explain how different words would taste different and how numbers had personalities.

I'm not going to give away any spoilers or tell you how it ended, but I was completely surprised and I still haven't decided if it was good or bad. I was so caught off guard that I'm not sure how I feel about it. If the ending could be changed to be a little different I think this book would be absolutely amazing.

Not many books shed light on those who live on the margins of society and suffer from mental illnesses. I really give R.J. Anderson props for telling a story about teens in a mental institution and showing their perspective on life.

Review- Spellbound

Title: Spellbound

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Rating: 4/5

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: ARC via Netgalley

What's a girl to do when

meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to-Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Street lamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives-visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

My thoughts:

Spellbound was such a great love story! I really loved the past life tragedies and the fact that they were fated to be together. Brendan and Emma are drawn to each other in a way that they've never felt before. But their lives are possibly in danger if they act on their feelings.

As much as I loved this book, I expected there to be a lot of magic in it because of the name. I thought there was going to be unknown witch heritage, coven initiation and spells. But there was only one witch who did not know very much.

This Upper East side private high school full of snotty rich brats reminded me a lot of the high school I went to in Southern California. Kids with all the clothes they want, brand new cars and parents who just throw money at them.

I really loved the chemistry between Brendan and Emma. The writing was spectacular and sucked me right in from the beginning. I wanted them to end up together so bad and to break the spell. Of course I'm not going to tell you how it ended, so you're just going to have to read it for yourself!

May R.A.K Wrap-up

I know I'm a little late in wrapping up what I received from Random Acts of Kindness but the only thing that I've been doing for the past week is unpacking from moving from Virginia to California! It's been crazy and difficult to get back into the swing of things and to balance reading, blogging and family time. Anyway, without further ado, here's what I got:

Matched by Ally Condie

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Given by Kristen @ Bookworming in the 21st Century

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen
Given by Lillie @ Read My Mind

Numbers by Rachel Ward
Given by Jen @ Not Now...I'm Reading!

Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity! I love being a part of this community! Book bloggers are the best :)

Random Acts of Kindness is hosted by Book Soulmates!

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday (11)

Follow Friday is a really fun way to network your blog and meet some other really cool bloggers in the process! This weekly event is hosted at Parajunkee's View! The featured bloggers is Backseat Reader!

Q: What are you doing to prepare for an upcoming zombie apocalypse and/or the return of Mel Gibson to the silver screen (both of which could be terrifying)?

A: I haven't done anything to prepare for a zombie apocalypse. Besides knowing where all the guns are kept in the house and the baseball bats by the front door. We could all start clipping coupons like those people from that show Extreme Couponing where they practically get all their groceries for free and collect food like it's going out of style. As for Mel Gibson, he is returning to the silver screen with Jodi Foster but the movie doesn't even seem worth watching.

The Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love for the written word. This incredibly awesome weekly event is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books!

Q: Share your favorite post from the last month and tell us why it's close to your heart.

A: My favorite post from May was my review of Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead. Although I read the whole series up until the last one, I listened to Last Sacrifice with my roommate at the time (I miss you Stacia!!!). We drove up to her house in PA for Easter weekend and listened to it the whole way there, in the car while we were driving around PA and the whole way back to VA. It was one of the best weekends of the semester!

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also because the covers are always amazing!

So I'm back from my vacation and I'm super excited to show you guys what I did and the amazing sights that I saw! I've missed blogging so much and I'm ready to dive back in.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Release Date: June 7, 2011

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Whales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores it's abandon bedrooms and hallways, is becomes clear that the children who once lived here-were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive.

What are you waiting for?