Review: The Unwritten Rule

Title: The Unwritten Rule
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 210
Challenge: None
Source: Personal copy

My Rating:

Sarah and Brianna have always been friends, and it's always gone like this: guys talk to Sarah in order to get closer to Brianna. So even though Sarah met Ryan first, she's not surprised that he ends up with Brianna (even though Sarah has a massive crush on him). The three of them hang out, and Sarah and Ryan's friendship grows until one night an innocent exchange between them leads to a moment that makes Sarah realize that Ryan might be interested in her after all. But if there's one unwritten rule, it's this: you don't mess around with a friend's boyfriend. So Sarah tries to resist temptation. But with the three of them thrown together more and more, tension builds between Sarah and Ryan, and when they find themselves alone together at one point, they realize they just can't fight how they feel anymore.... summary from goodreads.com

The Unwritten Rule: Don't like your best friend's boyfriend. This was my first Elizabeth Scott novel and I have exactly 3 words; I loved it!

At first glance, The Unwritten Rule looks like your typical YA high school romance: girl falls for boy, boy is taken by girl's best friend, something happens between the girl and boy, boy falls for girl. I know what you’re thinking- been there, read that! While it may be a worn-out story, Scott somehow manages to work her magic and turn it into a gripping, emotional novel that caught me from the first page and didn't let go until I finished.

The main character Sara is very simplistic. I'm not going to lie, she didn't have a ton of personality, but she was sweet, nice and a good friend. I mostly sympathized with her because of Brianna. I too once had a crappy friend that I’d known forever and I just didn’t know how to let go. While I obviously rooted for Sara, Brianna was not a totally unsympathetic character. She is definitely not very likeable in the beginning as her bad behavior demonstrates what an awful friend she is. Brianna comes across as arrogant, selfish and cruel by putting her friend down at practically every opportunity. But then we get a glimpse into her family life… we then understand why she acts the way she does. I’m not saying this justifies her actions (when she tells Sara, “You’re nothing without me” I seriously said, “Oh, hell no!”) but I will admit that I felt pity towards her after seeing the way she’s treated by her parents. Girls like that are always on the lookout for attention since they don’t get any from their parents back home.

My only complaint about the story is Ryan. Don’t get me wrong, he was absolutely charming and I totally loveable, but I just wish he would have developed a backbone and spoke his true feelings. He seemed more of a “doormat” boyfriend, he did what Brianna said and not what he wanted. It drove me crazy! I don't know how with so few pages Scott manages to make such three-dimensional characters and plot lines that are simple in theory but complex like in real life. It’s brilliant! And although the ending is not a happily ever after, (it would have been unrealistic if it was) I will definitely be re-reading The Unwritten Rule in the near future.

On vacation w the fam

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.  

~Robert Orben

 

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'll be missing for about a week. I'm on vacation :) wooo whoo! We came to Hawaii, Wakiki (Honolulu), to be exact :) If you're a follower on twitter, I'll most likely be posting daily pictures, so go check it out! http://www.twitter.com/g a m e z d 5 (all together)
You can all travel with me and my family from the comfort of your armchair :)haha!

For my reading material I brought Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, Ruby Red and Clockwork Angel. I don't expect to read all 3 in a week, but I like to have some selection.

Review: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)

Title: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 489
Source: Own
Challenge: YA Series Challenge

My Rating:

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere. She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever. -summary from goodreads.com

SO happy I decided to give this one a try! I’ll be honest, Blood Promise was my least favorite book in the series. I wasn’t looking forward to Spirit Bound as much as I should have (I know that now that I’ve read it). The first half of the book focuses on Rose being back with Lissa at the Academy getting ready to pass her trials and graduate. It was so nice to finally have the girls back in the academy. The atmosphere was light and fun, and it was good to see Rose catch and break and actually enjoy her youth.

The majority of the second half of the book involves Rose’s trouble-making skills… let’s see, there’s a prison break, sneaking off to Las Vegas, pissing off the royals… ah, and the occasional crashing of a Royal party, or two. But guess what? She doesn’t get away with all of it. I think this is the first book where Rose actually gets busted for her behavior. She's perceived to be immature and reckless by the conservative Moroi, but I see her more as just bluntly honest, she doesn't wait around for things to get worse, she takes matters into her own hands. She’s a take-action type of girl, and I can respect that.

I was very happy to have more of Christian in this book. I missed him. I loved the way his relationship with Lissa was very realistic. After their fallout, he’s trying very hard to get back into her good grace, I enjoyed getting to know that romantic side of him. As far as Rose’s boys…. I’m not to sure who I’m rooting for. I absolutely LOVE Dimitri, but Adrian is currently my new favorite book boyfriend. He knows Rose is obsessed with the whole Dimitri situation, but he still loves her. He wants to see HER happy above all costs, even if that means he doesn’t get a happy ending. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is.

Overall, be ready for that familiar heartache and frustration because after Spirit Bound, you’ll be dying to get your hands on Last Sacrifice. So, if like me, you were thinking of putting the series aside for a while after Blood Promise, I am here to tell you that you are a fool. I promise you that Spirit Bound makes up for its predecessor. This is one book you don’t want to miss!

Review: Hourglass (Hourglass #1)

Title: Hourglass (Hourglass #1)
Author: Myra McEntire
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 397
Source: Library
Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge


My Rating:

One hour to rewrite the past . . . For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past. Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened? -summary from goodreads.com

17-year-old Emerson, or Em, can see “ghosts” from the past. As soon as she touches them, they “pop”, or disappear. After the tragic death of both her parents Emerson now lives with her older brother Thomas and his wife. To help her get rid of her visions (as her brother likes to call them), Thomas hires Michael, a worker for the Hourglass Company. It’s through Michael that Em discovers that she’s not alone, there are many like her. (Don’t want to give more on the plot, I feel I’ll just spoil the story for you.)

This was book was AWESOME! Science fiction, romance, a coming-of-age story, action, and peril- this book has it all! I can't believe this is a debut novel. It had such an enthralling storyline, the plot was perfectly paced and characterization was great. Emerson, or Em for short, is a great strong willed protagonist. Although she doesn’t know much about her “condition”, she proves over and over again that she can take care of herself. She’s very easy to relate to. I loved learning about the “rips” and watching Emerson slowly accept who she is.

Then there’s Michael, Charming, loyal, self-sacrificing …. My only complaint about Michael is the whole hot and cold attitude. One minuet he’s kissing Em, and the next he’s saying their love can’t be (you’ll see why). It drove me nuts! But then came to my rescue Kaleb. Ah, Kaleb… 3 words; hot and complicated. Kaleb’s got the sexy bad boy with a heart of gold thing covered. One thing I loved about him was that he was very direct about his feelings. He held nothing back. The few scenes he did have with Em were wonderful, totally swoon worthy. I want to know more about him in the next book… When does that come out?

Overall, Hourglass is a creative and exciting debut! I’d say it’s a mix between X-men and Heroes. Did anyone ever watch Heroes? I know the series got cancelled a while back, but Hourglass reminded me a bit of it. Regardless, if you haven’t had time to read Hourglass, and you’re a fan of either show, I’d suggest you check it out soon :)

Winners and updates :)

It's been almost a week since my last post, *eek! My apologies, in my defense, I've been really sick. I picked up a horrible cold.... Yeah, a cold, in the middle of one of the HOTTEST summers of my life! I hate it, especially in this humid weather. Alas, I am recovering as we speak :)

So, back to business.... The Summer Giveaway Hop, I had over 250 people enter, for a total of approx 800 entries.... that's MIND BLOWING! Cannot thank you all enough for spreading the word! So without further ado;

The winner of Radiant Shadows:
xxsquigglesxx

The winner of The Summoning:
Hira H. @Enamored Soul




Congrats to both winners, please check your inbox, you will receive an email from me shortly.

So, in other news, has anyone else read the DSCS (Dirty Sexy Club Scene) from City of Lost Souls that Ms. Clare put on her website in honor of Jace's victory in the Ya Tourney? (If you haven't read it, and would like to, click here. I must warn you though, there are definite spoilers from COFA).

I really need to talk to someone about this. Did Jace...? you know... um, yeah. Nevermind, I don't know if it's just my perverted mind or if what I'm thinking really did happen....Guess I'll have to wait until the book is out.

Moving on. I wanted to thank Lulu for posting the book trailer for Chain Reaction (I super squee'd as I was watching it, Lu!). This is the 3rd and last book in the Perfect Chemistry series. If you haven't started this series, stop what you are doing and do so NOW! Perfect Chemistry was easily one of my favorite reads this year.

Aren't those Fuentes boys HOTT!? Is it me, or does Brittany look a little too fake?! Speaking of fake, there's this really neat fcbk app that I've been messing with; its called Patch and you. With it, your able to "take a picture" with the notorious bad boy, Patch. Here's mine :) haha!

Don't we look stunning? Haaaaa! I know I look a bit pasty, but it's nothing a good tan can't fix ;) Ok, so I think that is all, for now. Thanks for stopping by,and congrats once again to my 2 winners! 

Happy Friday <3

Review: Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)

Title: Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 432

My Rating:

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning. Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood. - goodreads.com

Loved this book.... Dare I say I even enjoyed it more than Vampire Academy? I loved having Sydney as the main character. She is such a remarkable character and it was very easy to relate to her. That stated I also felt so bad for her at times. Here we have this brilliant girl who’s being judged (and frowned upon) for her past actions. The world she thought she knew is turning upside down. We see her mature as a person throughout the book; she learns to work and feel compassion towards her fellow vampire friends, even though she was raised to think they were evil creatures out a soul. Enter Adrian (hooorray and YUM!)...  he’s just as funny and flirty as ever before.  I love the comradeship between Sydney and Adrian and I do hope it develops into something more!

That was the only thing I felt Bloodlines was missing was romance. Having read other novels by Mrs. Mead, I was expecting at least one “smexy” scene in Bloodlines, but there were none. BUT PLEASE, don’t let that stop you from reading this book! Although Bloodlines may be lacking in the romance department, the action and story building definitely makes up for it.

I would definitely recommend this book to all fans of Vampire Academy. If you’re scared Bloodlines won’t live up to its predeceasing series, then I am here to tell you to fear not! There are also many cameo appearance and they totally rocked my socks off! Especially at the end; that last sentence in the book … WOW. The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) needs to be published NOW!

Review: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Author: Michelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 503

Source: Library

Challenege: YA Series

My Rating:

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same. The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved? Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love? -summary from goodreads.com

After the heart-wrenching cliffhanger at the end of SHADOW KISS, I was dying to get my hands on BLOOD PROMISE. Unfortunately BP wasn’t what I expected…. I was expecting to stay up all night reading but I found myself reading a couple of pages and then putting it down to read something else.

The first 300 or so pages were a bit boring and, in my opinion, very dark. It was a world outside of the Vampire Academy that I had learned to love, and I didn’t like it! We see a completely different side to Rose, a more emotional side. She has so many problems going on and they just pile one on top of the other. Poor girl, even her “bad-ass attitude” took a low toll. This new attitude of hers didn’t mesh well with her personality found in the first three books

I sped read through the first 3 books because I loved the story and the characters. Particularly Rose and Lissa, I loved their companionship and closeness... Now that I think about it, this was exactly what this book was missing; this book suffers because of the separation between Rose and Lissa.

I guess the only part that kept me interested was when Rose finally meets Dimitri, even though I hated the outcome. I’m going to just be blunt and say it; Rose and Dimitri remind me of Buffy and Angel. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. Ass-kicking girl falls in love w/forbidden boy, forbidden boy loves her back, forbidden boy loses his soul, forbidden boy hunts down ass-kicking girl. It was really hard for me to read the scenes between Rose and Dimitri. I hated the way Dimitri kept her as his prisoner and pretty much turned her into his own personal “blood whore”. I often times found myself yelling, “Come on Rose, WAKE UP!”… I just wanted her to snap out of the trance and kill him, and that’s saying a lot because I love Dimitri.

With that being said, I will mention that if you’ve made it this far, but find yourself trailing off; KEEP READING. Crucial information is revealed throughout the book that continues the story line of the series. Although we get very little scenes between Lissa and Christian, those were definitely the moments I enjoyed the most. And the whole Rose sleep dreams with Adrian, LOVED THEM! Am I the only one who’s leaning more and more towards Team Adrian?! Don’t judge me.

Overall, not the best book in the series, but a good book none the less. I will definitely continue Rose’s adventure with the next book SPIRIT BOUND.

Cover Reveal & Comparison

Tiger's Voyage

by Colleen Houck

(So, I'm going to take a wild guess here and say the left cover is for US and the right cover is UK. Please correct me if I'm wrong. US cover was revealed today via B&N.com)

Book/Series:
This is the 3rd book in The Tiger's Saga.

What I like:
Both covers are very pretty! The dragon on the US cover gives it a majestic look, very magical and appropriate to the story. Ren and Kishan look powerful and magnificent, on the UK version. It looks as though their about to start an ancient battle, I love it! Goes perfectly with the series, since both brothers are fighting for Kelsey's affection.

US or UK?:
Personally I prefer the UK cover over the US version. I don't know why, but I'm not feeling the dragon. The previous two books in the series had beautiful covers, both of which included a tiger. Why the sudden change?! I mean, I know the dragon will probably have a significant role in book 3, but I would have preferred a US cover similar to that of the UK.

What do you think? Let me know :)

I'm in LOVE!

Ok, so I thought I should let ya’ll know that I'm in love, but with a fictional character. His name is Ren. Like seriously, I actually KNOW I am. See I just finished reading Tiger's Curse, which was amazing, incredible, marvelous, prodigious EPIC! and I think everyone, and their mom(s), should read it.

If your thinking, “Tiger’s Curse? Wtf! That sounds cheesy?!” Well then think of the most delicious, creamiest cheese that you’ve ever had. Don’t like cheese? Then just think of chocolate. Don’t like chocolate? Well then just think of ANY guilty please you have, ok?

Think of that and multiply it by ten. You have Tiger's Curse. Yeah, it’s THAT good.

And then you have Ren. An Indian born with an Asian mother, who was raised speaking English. I can only imagine what he would look like in a movie. Speaking of which, there is going to be one. Yes, you heard right. As we speak, it is in the works. I found this on Mrs. Houck’s website and I practically DIED.

So yeah, just so you know; I’m in love. Putting that out there. And Missie, I will definitely begin my web-hunt for the perfect guy to protray Ren for my next Book Boyfriend post.

That it all. As you were, carry on.

Ps. Anyone else in love with this wonderful story? I need to hurry up and read TIGERS QUEST! although I'm a bit scared.... It's all your fault, Michelle.... Jk! :)haha! Email me.