Review: Numbers

Title: Numbers
Author: Rachel Ward
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic Inc.
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: R.A.K. (Random Acts of Kindness)

Whenever Jem meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head.  That number is a date: the date they will die. 

Burdened with such an awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships.  Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance.  But while they're waiting to ride the Eye Ferris wheel, Jem notices that all the tourists in like flash the same number.  Today's number.  Today's date.  Terrorists are going to attack London.  Jem's world is about to explode!

My thoughts:

Numbers is a whirlwind right from the beginning.  We learn so much about Jem in the first couple chapters and begin to understand why she prefers to keep people at a distance.  Just thinking about it, it would be really hard to have a best friend if you knew the exact day they were going to die.  The details concerning the first part of her life are so heart-wrenching that you want her story to turn out good to make up for her beginning struggles.

I liked Jem and Spider's relationship from the beginning.  Their interaction and the way they support one another is so easy and comes so natural.  Which is surprising for a character like Jem who prefer's to avoid relationships. Their relationship is pure and essentially beautiful without any harsh judgments or doubt in their ability to take care of each other.  I also really like Spider's grandmother who is so wise and knowing.  She knows Jem is different from the first time she saw her and she accepted her without question.

After the explosion of the Ferris wheel, the story and plot line are constantly going until the end.  When Spider and Jem were on the run together, I was constantly torn between wanting them to go to the police and just tell them the truth or to keep running until the police lost track of them.  I couldn't decide which was the better decision.  I also wanted there to be some huge significant event that would change the course of Spider's life and therefore change the date of his death, but no such luck.

As much as I loved this story so much, I didn't like the end at all.  The whole book is about the span of one week and the end suddenly flashes forward about six years.  The book was still really good, I just wish that it would have ended different.  The fact that it was so different is what I liked about it the most.  Most supernatural books have to do with witches, vampires or werewolves, but there are not too many books dealing with a teenager who can see the date of everyone's death.  It is definitely a memorable read!

Review- Witches of East End

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Hyperion

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: ARC compliments of Hyperion

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult that ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

My thoughts:

I've been a long time fan of Melissa de la Cruz and I haven't come across a published work of hers that I do not like. She is a fantastic writer, the Blue Bloods series is amazing and Witches of East End is no different.

Cruz weaves such a uniquely complicated story that at first I was worried that I was going to get lost in all the details of the witches and the townspeople. But I was sucked in so completely that following along and understanding was very easy. It was so interesting and I always wanted to know what happened next.

The chemistry and tension between Freya and Killian was so intense and hot I could almost feel the heat coming off the pages. Even though she's technically cheating on her fiance Bran, in a way I was rooting for Killian because of their unusual connection. I loved Freya's centuries old love story and that she has been searching for her long lost love for hundreds of years.

While they were doing their magic, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for something bad to happen because they're not supposed to be using their powers! I was almost saying to myself, "Not so much magic. Take it down a notch, you're using too much!" The mystery and the possibility of what was lurking around the next corner was just to intriguing! And just when I thought I had the whole story figured out, the ending blew me a way and completely caught me off guard.

Anyone who loves Melissa de la Cruz and the Blue Bloods series, then Witches of East End is a must read; especially with the mysterious appearance of a few Blue Blood characters!

Waiting on Wednesday (24)

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 the covers are always amazing!

I only recently finished Anna and the French Kiss and I posted my review today. If you read it then you would know how much I love it! Which means I can't wait until Lola and the Boy Next Door comes out! So I just devoted an entire day to Stephanie Perkins!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins! Release date: September 29, 2011:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

What are you waiting for?

Review- Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: R.A.K. (Random Acts of Kindness)

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris-until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna-and readers-have long awaited?

My thoughts:

I loved Anna and the French Kiss from the very first chapter! I remember what it was like being wrapped in high school with everything that's going on and all that you hope to accomplish before high school is over. I would have been pretty upset too if I was pulled out of my life to complete the last year of high school in a foreign country. Anger, frustration, betrayal and loneliness is what you get from the main character in the beginning and rightly so.

The relationship between St. Clair and Anna is so intense right from the beginning so it becomes a little frustrating that they remain just friends for so long. But the writing is exquisite and Perkins describes every little flirty detail between the two of them; every slight touch of the hand, all the phone calls and emails and every small and meaningful look. Even Anna's tone changes when their relationship changes. Instead of calling him St. Clair she, more intimately, calls him Etienne.

Stephanie Perkins writes teenagers so perfectly from both the male and the female perspective. Anna over analyzes every look and every word that passes between her and St. Clair. He likes me but he doesn't; he wants to be my friend, well maybe he wants more. St. Clair is struggling over reasons why he should and shouldn't break up with his current girlfriend. Neither are sure if the other one likes them so there's constant flirting and unspoken words.

I really loved Anna and the French Kiss and Stephanie Perkins really knows how to weave a story of love and heartbreak; making cry in one chapter and completely bringing me back up in the next. I just hope that Lola and the Boy Next Door is just as good!

Teaser Tuesday (11)

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!

Today, I've been reading Want to go Private? by Sarah Littman. It's about a teenage girl who falls victim to an internet predator. I'm almost halfway through and it's crazy good and a little scary!

"That night, Luke asks me if I have a webcam so we can video chat. I tell him there's one build into my computer.

BlueSkyBoi: Well, what are we waiting for?

Abyangel99: I don't know. Nothing, I guess. Hold on a sec.

I throw a bathrobe over my camisole and pajama bottoms and make sure my hair looks okay. Then I click on the video icon so he can see me, and wait for him to start his. When Luke turns his on, his face is half in shadow. I put in my earbuds, so no one at my house can hear the conversation."

In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.



For review:

Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse

Dark Souls by Paula Morris

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Want to go Private by Sarah Littman

Ariel by Aaron Patterson and Chris White

She Smells the Dead by EJ Stevens

Netgalley Review:

Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

The Crazy Things Girls Do For Love by Dyan Sheldon

Circle 9 by Anne Heltzel

What's in your mailbox?

Blog Hop and Follow Friday (15)

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. This week's featured blogger is Erika at Let's Talk About Books!

Q: Your favorite book/movie character (example: Hermione Granger played by the Emma chick) just walked into the room. Who is it and what would be your first reaction?

I love, love, love Harry Potter and all the movies and if Ronald Weasley/Rupert Grint walked into the room, I'm pretty sure my heart would stop and I wouldn't be able to breath! Once I regained control of myself (which would take so long he probably would have left the room), I would probably walk up to him and not be able to say a single word. It would also include a few other things like smiling awkwardly, continuing to nod my head and staring at him like I was his creep stalker. But if Patch from the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick walked into the room, I would try as fast as I can to shove my hands up the back of his shirt, touch the scars of his wings and see where it would take me! It would be amazing just to touch Patch!

The book blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love for the written word. The book blogger hop is brought to us by Jennifer at Crazy For Books!

Q: What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?

A: The main reason I continue reading a book after the first few pages is that it usually sucks me in and I'm already wanting to know what happens next. That's how it is when I'm starting the first book in a series. If it's a series that I really love, then I give the next few book more time than I usually would to get the story going. I already love the characters and I've already invested my time in them, so I already know that I'm going to enjoy the story. I put a book down after 50 pages or so when I don't feel an emotional connection with them and I don't care what happens to them in the story.