Waiting On Wednesday (20) - Heir Of Fire

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

Heir Of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

I recently read Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight and really enjoyed them! I can't wait to read Heir of Fire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight? Did you like them?

Since You've Been Gone (Book Review)

Since You've Been Gone
Morgan Matson

Hardcover, 449 pages

Published May 6th 2014 by Simon & Schuster

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um....


Review:
Since You've Been Gone is a book that I have heard a lot of good about. I have enjoyed reading Morgan Matson's work before (Second Chance Summer) so I was really looking forward to reading this one.
And it didn't completely disappoint.
Something I should say is that part of the reason that I didn't really, really like this book is because I was expecting more. I enjoyed Second Chance Summer so much and I had heard that this was 5 stars all round that I think I was expecting just a little better than I got.

The Characters.
I enjoyed Emily's character. I think that she was realistically portrayed as the quite introvert who wouldn't do much if it weren't for her best friend who is outgoing and always willing to do the more wild things. But then the best friend disappears and leaves Emily a list to do that summer with instructions at the end to find her. And Emily is thrown into doing things that she would never normally do. Especially on her own. Emily grows a lot throughout the course of this book. Definitely a great show of character growth.
Emily made some mistakes in the book that made me groan/want to yell at her. But I think that this also was just something that made her more realistic.

The Plot:
One of the things I liked least about this book were the ridiculously long chapters. I am not a fan of books that continually have chapters longer than 20 pages. And this one had chapters that were 30 pages + almost the entire book. It kind of made me bored.
Almost every chapter is Emily going to complete one of the tasks on the list. I liked reading about her doing all of those things.

I did enjoy this one. I don't think that it would make any of my favorite contemporary lists, but I did like it. Emily's character growth was great. And I enjoyed the concept.
Would recommend this to contemporary lovers if just to try out

The Truth About Alice (Book Review)

The Truth About Alice
Jennifer Mathieu
Published June 3rd 2014 by Roaring Brook Press

Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons, dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.  Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the "slut stall" in the girls' bathroom: "Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers" and "Alice got an abortion last semester." After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they "know" about Alice--and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.



Review:

For the 200 pages this book is. It packs a huge punch. It delves into how much pain and how far a rumor can reach. And also how badly gossip can hurt someone. The Characters: This book is split into the points of view of Alice's so called "friends" and acquaintances. Until the very last chapter. Where you finally get into Alice's mind. Everyone has their own idea of what happened that night and the following day's. And all of the points of view were very unique and different. The Plot: This book is...more For the 200 pages this book is. It packs a huge punch. It delves into how much pain and how far a rumor can reach. And also how badly gossip can hurt someone. The Characters: This book is split into the points of view of Alice's so called "friends" and acquaintances. Until the very last chapter. Where you finally get into Alice's mind. Everyone has their own idea of what happened that night and the following day's. And all of the points of view were very unique and different. The Plot: This book is not necessarily something that I "enjoyed" reading. But something that I am very glad I did. There is not much to say about this plot. I think that this is something everyone should read. Everyone should read about the consequences of rumors and gossip. Everyone should read about the different peoples ideas and looks about all of this as it is going on. This book doesn't get a rating from me. Because I didn't enjoy it. Or dislike it. I'm just glad I read it.

The Secrets of Lily Graves (Book Review)

The Secrets of Lily Graves
Sarah Strohmeyer

ebook, 304 pages

Published May 13th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.

As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim
Review:

Small town "perfect" girl gets murdered. Daughter of one of the towns morticians (who happens to have the last name of "Graves") and the "golden boy" Matt are suspects.

Lily Graves is the daughter of one of the towns morticians. After a fight with her nemesis Erin...Erin is murdered.
Lily is an interesting character. Definitely one of the most unique characters that I have come across in a while. But despite that, I wasn't a huge fan of hers. She felt a bit shallow in her attraction to Matt. And her character wasn't as developed as I would have liked her to be.

The entire plot revolves around Erin's death. Who did it? Lily and Matt are pretty much incriminating themselves by having secret meetings and leaving each other messages.
The plot moves very quickly. If you blink, you could miss a big important part of the story. But despite the plot moving quickly, I felt like there were also a lot of "filler" scenes. And as much as I enjoyed the scenes of Lily and her family of morticians, I don't think that they were necessarily imperative for the story line.
Also, because the plot wraps up so quickly...I felt like there were quite a few unanswered questions.

This book is very different from Sarah Strohmeyer's previous YA works "How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True" and "Smart Girls Get What They Want". Both of which were very light and fun. And both of which had quite a bit of romance.
Don't expect anything like that in "The Secrets of Lily Graves". There isn't that much romance (only a bit of "attraction") and the plot is anything but light.

I did enjoy the mystery. But I also wish that the mystery had been longer and more developed. Same with the characters. I wish that I could have seen more of Sara who loves crime shows...And I wish that I could have seen more of a developing romance between Matt and Lily.
I would not classify this one as romance.

Overall, if you like mysterious thrillers then you will probably enjoy this. But if you like things more like Sarah Strohmeyer's past books, then this probably isn't for you.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce Book Review

The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Katrina Leno

Hardcover, 240 pages

Expected publication: July 8th 2014 by HarperTeen

 

You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering.

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

 

Review:

Molly forgets things. Not just little things like forgetting her purse somewhere or forgetting her homework. She forgets big chunks of her life.
I have read a lot of books about memory loss. But this one was done a lot differently than those.

The Characters:
Molly Pierce's character was interesting. But also extremely confusing. I felt right at home with her character because we were both so confused. I wasn't a huge fan of not knowing what was going on, but it was interesting to read.
I felt like I didn't get to know the characters in this book well enough to like them or dislike them. The book is pretty short and because so much time is spent in confusion you don't get much of a look at any of the character. Including Molly's.

The Plot:
Again, EXTREMELY confusing. But that also is pretty typical of a memory loss book.
I don't want to get too much into why Molly has her memory loss. Because I would consider that a spoiler. But I will say that why she has it is very different.

This is a fairly short book, but long enough to get a good enough story out of it. But short enough to make me wish I had gotten to know that characters better. If you think that this sounds like something you would like, then definitely give it a try!

***The publisher of this book provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

Open Road Summer (Book Review)

Open Road Summer
Emery Lord
342 Pages
Published April 15th 2014 by Walker

Review:
I had heard that this book was good. But honestly that means little to nothing to me anymore since quite a few books that "everyone" seemed to love I have disliked.

But this one surprised me.

First of all, Open Road Summer's characters are some of the most unique characters I have ever read about in young adult contemporary.
Told in Reagan's point of view, you get the view of a girl with a best friend who happens to be a country music star. I loved reading about it. I think that the way that this friendship was executed was almost perfect. They don't always get along, but they do depend on each other.
Throw in Matt Finch. A guy who has problems of his own. And this book has some of the most awesome characters ever.
I didn't necessarily like them all all of the time, but the character's were portrayed realistically. Best part of the book hands down.

I also enjoyed the country music/ music in general elements. I loved the way that they were traveling around and going to different city's in the US.
One thing about this book I didn't like was that I wish it had been longer. I think that some things were done a little too quickly. But this also could have just been me not wanting it to end. And I also had my usual small problems. But overall the good outweighed the bad by a lot. And I really enjoyed reading this book.

I will definitely be reading anything else Emery Lord comes up with

Take Me On (Book Review)

Take Me On 
(Pushing the Limits #4)
Katie McGarry

Hardcover, 544 pages

Published May 27th 2014 by Harlequin TEEN

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for

Review:

If it is any hint to how much I love Katie McGarry's books, I re-read Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, and Crash Into You before diving into the wonderfulness that was Take Me On. First of all, something that disappointed me but did not make me love this book any less. - No Echo/Noah and Beth/Ryan :-( I was pretty disappointed that they didn't show up in this book. But on the bright side, you do get to see a lot of Rachel/Isaiah. One thing that makes Katie McGarry's books so amazing are the flawe...more If it is any hint to how much I love Katie McGarry's books, I re-read Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, and Crash Into You before diving into the wonderfulness that was Take Me On. First of all, something that disappointed me but did not make me love this book any less. - No Echo/Noah and Beth/Ryan :-( I was pretty disappointed that they didn't show up in this book. But on the bright side, you do get to see a lot of Rachel/Isaiah. One thing that makes Katie McGarry's books so amazing are the flawed characters. You get to see a whole lot of the troubles that life throws at you in them. And Haley and West are no exception. I'm not going to go into depth about why I loved Haley, West, and the entire story line. But all I can say is that this story was amazing. And if you loved (or even liked) Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, Crash Into You, Red At Night, or Crossing the Line. Then you will love this. Guaranteed. And the fact that Breaking the Rules (sequel to Pushing the Limits) about Echo and Noah is coming out later this year makes everything much better about them now showing up in Take Me On.