Waiting on Wednesday (115)

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!

Title: The Vault of Dreamers
Author: Caragh O'Brien
Hitting the Shelves: September 16, 2014

From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own.

The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success: every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

Why I want this: I really loved Birthmarked! It was one of the first dystopians I read and I really need to finish the trilogy. This new book reminds me of a larger scale of The Truman Show and it sounds amazing!! 

What Does the Bookworm Say? Cover Changes: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

This week on What Does the Bookworm Say? we are coming back to the topic of cover changes.  Last time we talked about Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead so if you missed it, you can read that here! This time we're talking about The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater; Shiver, Linger and Forever. Also, to read more about cover changes don't forget to visit Nite Lite Book Reviews, The Reader's Antidote and The Windy Pages! 

Sadly I have not had the opportunity to read this series yet but it is something that I would like to read eventually.  As much as I want to I just don't think Shiver and I are meant to be.  I cannot tell you how many copies of this book I have purchased and they either don't make it my house or they somehow get lost in my room or a friend never returned it but needless to say I own Linger and Forever but cannot get my hands on a copy of Shiver. It's the funniest thing! But I digress. 

Have you guys seen the new covers for Shiver?! This is one of those cases where I wonder why are they trying to fix something that's not broken? The original covers are beautiful! They're so mysterious with wolf in the background and whimsical with the little hearts in the trees. It's what draws me to this series! 

The new covers definitely lost all the whimsy and it's just so generic.  Why did they have to put a girl on the cover? They left the wolf and the lack of trees make it seem less foreboding.  I like that the original cover looks more like a thicket than a forest which definitely brings more to the mysterious table.  I don't think covers should be changed unless it's bringing in a new element that the original cover was missing.  I feel like a cover change for the Wolves of Mercy Falls series is unnecessary.

Waiting on Wednesday (114)

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!

Title: Vivian Divine is Dead
Author: Lauren Sabel
Hitting the Shelves: June 03, 2014

Filled with surprising twists and poignant moments, Lauren Sabel brings a fresh new voice to contemporary fiction with Vivian Divine Is Dead. Creepy, clever, funny, and romantic.

When a death threat arrives with teen celebrity Vivian Divine's fan mail, Vivian has no choice but to go on the run to Mexico. She soon discovers, though, that her Oscar-nominated performance killing villains on-screen did nothing to prepare her for escaping a madman in real life. Some people say he's a hero, others tremble in his presence, but one thing is clear: he won't stop until Vivian is in his grasp. Why didn't she pay more attention during those judo lessons for her role in Zombie Killer?

Vivian finds an ally in the mysterious and charming Nick. He is everything Hollywood boys are not-genuine, kind, and determined to see Vivian for who she really is. But even he seems like he can't be trusted-what could he be hiding?

Beat up, hungry, and more confused than ever about who she's running from, Vivian is living in a real-life blockbuster horror flick. But there's no option to yell "cut" like there is on set....

Upcoming Trailers!

I'm so excited for these upcoming movies! So many books are being adapted into movies and it seems like they're going to be pretty good! So here are the trailers if you haven't already seen them:

If I Stay:



This book and this trailer absolutely murdered my heart. The first viewing of this trailer made me chock up a little bit and that song is just so moving and very fitting! If I Stay is definitely in need of a re-read.

Gone Girl:



Now I haven't read Gone Girl but after watching this trailer I just might pick up the book before it hits theaters. I've heard Gillian Flynn's books are super dark and always surprising which is right up my alley.

Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Curse Trilogy #1
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Release Date: March 04, 2014
Source: ARC
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

My Thoughts: 

When ARCs of The Winner's Curse went out and bloggers started raving about how awesome this book is I knew I had to somehow get my hands on a copy! Luckily, I entered a giveaway for it and I won! 

There is something so fascinating about this world. I definitely feel like it could be a dystopian but it also has some magical elements to it.  The society itself is just very interesting where all citizens are required to either join the military or get married. Male and female alike.  Not very interesting choices.  

Kestral is the general's daughter who just wants be to free to make her own choices.  Then there's her slave Arin whom she bought in the marketplace.  I love the dichotomy of these two main characters.  Kestral is part of the people who conquered Arin's people when they were both just children. Up until he was about nine years old, Arin's family was very wealthy and he lived in a world where he could have anything he wanted.  Then Kestral's people conquered the land and forced Arin's people to be slaves. 

There's not a whole lot that happens in The Winner's Curse but it's still really good! There's a lot of world building, we're getting to know the society and the characters.  It's a lot of building up to what's going to happen at the end and since I'm not giving away any spoilers, the whole last third of the book was really good! And there's a crazy cliffhanger that really took me by surprise! 

The Winner's Curse is a richly imagined new world and a brand new trilogy that I will definitely continue reading! And that cover is one of my favorite of this year so far! 

Waiting on Wednesday (113)

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!

Title: The Break-Up Artist
Author: Philip Siegel
Hitting the Shelves: April 29, 2014

Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash. Some work at the Gap. Becca Williamson breaks up couples. 



After watching her sister get left at the altar, Becca knows the true damage that comes when people utter the dreaded L-word. For just $100 via paypal, she can trick and manipulate any couple into smithereens. With relationship zombies overrunning her school, and treating single girls like second class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even her best friend Val has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend.

One night, she receives a mysterious offer to break up the homecoming king and queen, the one zombie couple to rule them all: Steve and Huxley. They are a JFK and Jackie O in training, masters of sweeping faux-mantic gestures, but if Becca can split them up, then school will be safe again for singletons. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date and wiggle her way back into her former BFF Huxley’s life – not to mention start a few rumors, sabotage some cell phones, break into a car, and fend off the inappropriate feelings she’s having about Val’s new boyfriend. All while avoiding a past victim out to expose her true identity.

No one said being the Break-Up Artist was easy.

What Does the Bookworm Say? Negative Reviews

The topic this week is “Do I write negative reviews?” Don't forget to check out this topic at Nite Lite Reviews, The Reader's Antidote and The Windy Pages.

The simple answer to this question is yes! I don’t think there is anything wrong with a negative review. When an author puts their work out into the world, it’s natural that there are going to be some people who absolutely love it and some people who don’t like it as much and maybe even hate it.

When it comes to writing a negative review, I usually take more care and choose my words more carefully than if I were writing a positive review. I try to be very concise so that my words aren't twisted or taken out of context.

I think negative reviews are really important and I usually want to tell my readers why I didn't like a book. Whether a book had no plot, really annoying characters or a stupid love triangle; these are thing I like to talk about in a negative review even though these likes and dislikes are based purely on opinion.

When it comes to reading reviews, I always read the negative reviews because I really want to know why some readers did not like the book! I always want to weigh the book and the bad before I buy a book. And by writing a negative review I hope that I can help out another reader weigh their pros and cons before purchasing.

The only thing I really have to say about negative reviews is that I'm all for them! I like to write them and I like to read them! 

What do you think about negative reviews? Do you like to read/write them?

Have a topic you would like us to talk about? Let me know in the comments!